CINCINNATI, OH.- Explore nearly 100 dynamic artworks created by the highly accomplished painter, calligrapher and poet Woo Chong Yung 吳仲熊 (1898–1989) in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s newest exhibition. From Shanghai to Ohio: Woo Chong Yung (1898–1989) on view May 10–August 18, 2024.

Woo Chong Yung 吳仲熊 (1898–1989), also known in the United States as C.Y. Woo, was born in 1898 in Shanghai, China. By the 1920s, Woo had become a highly recognized artist in the elite art circles of both Shanghai and Beijing. In the 1960s, faced with political persecution, Woo left China to begin a new life in Columbus, Ohio, where he became an active presence in the local community, teaching Chinese painting and martial arts and contributing his talents to local arts councils and ethnic festivals. By the end of his life, Woo had essentially become a living legend in Columbus.

The Cincinnati Art Museum’s Curator of East Asian Art Dr. Hou-Mei Sung says, “In many ways, Woo’s life-changing experiences also tell the story of millions of Chinese who lived through the same transformative experiences, including all the Chinese people who migrated to Taiwan, Hong Kong, US and other places in the world.”

From Shanghai to Ohio: Woo Chong Yung (1898–1989) features paintings, calligraphies, photographs, seals and a sword drawn from the collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum and The Frank Museum of Art at Otterbein University. For many of the selected pieces, this is the first time they are publicly displayed. The exhibition provides visitors a glimpse into Woo’s artistic journey from Shanghai to Ohio and creates a context for the larger historical and cultural climate of twentieth-century China.

Produced in conjunction with the exhibition, a full color, illustrated catalog will be available for purchase to provide further historical context. It features Woo’s paintings and objects drawn from both the Cincinnati Art Museum and The Frank Museum of Art and include contributions from Dr. Sung and scholars Julia F. Andrews and Kuiyi Shen.