New York Chinese museum prepares display for centenarian artist

An exhibition honoring the work of illustrator Tyrus Wong opens at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) in Cinatown on Wednesday. On hand were, from left: Nancy Yao Maasbach, president of MOCA; Kim Wong, daughter of Tyrus Wong; Michael Labrie, director of collections at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco; and Herb Tam, MOCA's curator and director of exhibitions. The display is dedicated to the work of the Chinese-born American artist. A 104-year-old transplant from Guangdong province, Wong at the age of 9 left for the United States with his father, leaving his mother and sister in China never see them again. Due to the restrictions of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Wong and his father spent three weeks on Angel Island outside of San Francisco before landing in Sacramento. Wong and his father later moved to Los Angeles' Chinatown. Throughout his career as an artist and illustrator, Wong held positions with film production firms including Walt Disney and Warner Bros. Though most well-known for his connections with Disney's Bambi (1942), Wong also worked on feature films such as Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and The Wild Bunch (1969). The exhibit is the first full-scale retrospective of Wong's work in New York. It will run through Sept 13.

Jack Freifelder / China Daily