The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR), a global company known for creativity and innovation in engineering, has announced that it is sponsoring the historic premier of From Monet to Picasso: Masterworks from The Cleveland Museum of Art at the Beijing World Art Museum. In celebration of the sponsorship, the company has also commissioned sculptures using its bearing and steel products by Jiang Qiong Er, an emerging Chinese artist-designer.

"As part of our own company culture, we value innovation and creativity and have a history of support for the arts and culture. Sponsoring the voyage of these masterpieces from their home at the Cleveland Museum of Art to audiences in China offers a great connection between two parts of the world where Timken is applying our technical knowledge creatively to improve customer performance," said Roger Lindsay, senior vice president of Timken's Asia Pacific operations.

Jiang Qiong Er, a native of Shanghai who is already gaining international recognition for her contemporary artwork, shows her creativity and talent in a wide range of media including painting, sculpture and photography. She debuted in the art arena with her "industrial romance" jewelry collection, which incorporates industrial parts in her designs.

The four pieces of Timken-commissioned artwork under creation by Jiang Qiong Er will be displayed in the company's Asia Pacific headquarters in Shanghai and its global headquarters in Ohio. Timken will donate two of the finished pieces in 2007.

"Now, through Jiang Qiong Er's work and her fusion of art and engineered products, we are delighted also to have the chance to introduce a contemporary Chinese artist to audiences in the United States," said Lindsay.

From Monet to Picasso: Masterworks from The Cleveland Museum of Art, which continues to run in Beijing through August 27, 2006, is one of six such traveling exhibitions from The Cleveland Museum of Art scheduled for presentation at more than a dozen venues over the next four years. The Beijing first leg of the world tour of the masterworks, sponsored by Timken, is currently on display at the Beijing World Art Museum.

The traveling exhibition From Monet to Picasso marks a milestone in the Cleveland Museum of Art's 90-year history, as it is the first time that such a preponderance of masterworks from its permanent collection will be on view outside of Cleveland.

The exhibition brings together 60 of The Cleveland Museum's most highly acclaimed European paintings and sculptures from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, featuring iconic works by Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissarro, Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Auguste Rodin.

After traveling to the Beijing World Art Museum, From Monet to Picasso: Masterworks from The Cleveland Museum of Art will open in Tokyo and Seoul. This is the first major show of European Impressionists and Modern masters to travel to these three Asian capitals.

Since its entry into China in 1992, The Timken Company has brought to China its state-of-the-art products and technology as well as innovation to international and local customers. With China headquarters in Shanghai, Timken has an established network of 7 sales offices in major cities. The company has invested in four large-scale manufacturing sites, a logistics center and an engineering training center to better serve its Chinese customers. With 3,500 employees in China, Timken is committed to providing expertise in friction management and power transmission.

About The Timken Company

The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR, http://www.timken.com) keeps the world turning, with innovative ways to make customers' products run smoother, faster and more efficiently. Timken's highly engineered bearings, alloy steels and related products and services turn up everywhere. With operations in 27 countries, sales of $5.2 billion in 2005 and 27,000 employees, Timken is Where You Turn(TM) for better performance.

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