Martin Wong's First Major Museum Show Since 2017 Opens in Chicago, Featuring Over 100 Works

Wrightwood 659 in Chicago presents 'Martin Wong: Chinatown USA,' the first monographic museum exhibition of the artist's work since 2017, running from April 17 to July 18. The show features more than 100 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photographs, including significant loans like the Broad Art Foundation's triptych 'Tai Ping Tien Kuo (Tai Ping Kuo)' from 1982. Curated by Yasufumi Nakamori, the exhibition occupies two of the museum's three floors. Concurrently, P.P.O.W. gallery in downtown New York hosts 'Martin Wong: Popeye' from April 18 to May 30, exploring his interest in comics and tattoo subculture. Wong (1946–99), a Chinese-American painter central to New York's downtown scene, frequently depicted Chinatown life and explored themes of doubling and identity. His auction record was set in 2024 at $1.62 million for 'Portrait of Mikey Piñero at Ridge Street and Stanton' (1985), a work included in the Wrightwood show. The museum's director, Mariah Keller, notes the exhibition aligns with Wrightwood's mission of showcasing LGBTQ artists. Founded in 2018 by Fred Eychaner and Dan Whittaker in a building redesigned by Tadao Ando, the space highlights works like the previously unexhibited verso of 'Untitled (Silver Storefront)' (1985). Wong's diverse influences included American Sign Language, graffiti aesthetics, and the red brick textures of his New York milieu.