The papers of New York City Asian American artist Ching Ho Cheng measure 6.8 linear feet and date from circa 1950 to 2014, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1970-1989. The collection documents Cheng's art career and life through biographical material, correspondence, personal business and estate records, printed material, a scrapbook, photographic material, artwork, sketchbooks, and artifacts.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of New York City Asian American artist Ching Ho Cheng measure 6.8 linear feet and date from circa 1950 to 2014, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1970-1989. The collection documents Cheng's art career and life through biographical material, correspondence, personal business and estate records, printed material, a scrapbook, photographic material, artwork, sketchbooks, and artifacts.
Biographical material includes artist's statements, biographical writings, lists, life and death documents, a memorial book, naturalization paperwork, and one file of collaborative poetry with David Rattray.
Correspondence includes letters and postcards from Cheng's friends, artists, and family, including Tally Brown, Ira Cohen, Gregory Millard, Vali Myers, David Rattray, and Dui Seid.
Personal business and estate records contain contracts, loan agreements, inventories, and other records documenting income and expenses.
Printed material is comprised of books, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, journals, magazines, newsletters, postcards, press releases, programs, and posters documenting Cheng's career.
One scrapbook contains clippings and reproductions of Cheng's work.
Photographic material includes photographs, negatives, and slides featuring portraits of Cheng, Gregory Millard, Tally Brown, Vali Myers, Sybao Cheng-Wilson, and others.
Artwork and fifteen sketchbooks contain drawings and sketches, mostly quick studies of geometric compositions done in pencil, ink, and colored pencil.
Artifacts include a metal box, various fabric scraps, a paintbrush, and a blue enamel mug, which is the subject of one of Cheng's paintings.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as nine series
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1970-1990 (0.3 linear foot; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1957-2014 (2.2 linear feet; Box 1-3)
Series 3: Personal Business and Estate Records, circa 1970-2010 (0.7 linear foot; Box 3-4)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1954-2011 (1.1 linear feet; Box 4-5, 7, OV 9)
Series 5: Scrapbook, 1982-1983 (1 folder; Box 5)
Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1950-1990 (0.4 linear feet; Box 5, 7)
Series 7: Artwork, circa 1960-1990 (1linear foot; Box 5, 8, OV 10)
Series 8: Sketchbooks, circa 1970-1990 (0.5 linear feet; Box 6, 8)
Series 9: Artifacts, circa 1970-1990 (0.6 linear feet; Box 6)
Biographical / Historical:
Ching Ho Cheng (1946-1989) was a Chinese American artist based in New York City.
Cheng was born in Cuba but spent most of life in New York City. After receiving his BFA from the Cooper Union in 1968, Cheng lived in Paris and Amsterdam, where he had his first solo exhibition in 1976. Shortly after, Cheng moved back to New York City. He became associated with the Warhol circle, and took up residence in the Chelsea Hotel, where he lived until his death in 1989.
Working in the pop psychedelic style early in his career, Cheng later developed a technique of creating abstract paintings with stencils and torn paper that he treated and soaked. He was in more than fifteen exhibitions before his death, and his work has been collected posthumously by the Hirshhorn, the Whitney, and many other museums.
Provenance:
The Ching Ho Cheng papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 2014 and 2016 by Sybao Cheng-Wilson, Cheng's sister and executor of the Ching Ho Cheng estate.
Restrictions:
This collection is temporarily closed to researchers due to archival processing and digitization. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
An interview with Lenore Chinn conducted 2020 July 30, by Benjamin Gillespie, for the Archives of American Art's Art Pandemic Oral History Project at Chinn's home in San Francisco, California.
Biographical / Historical:
Lenore Chinn (1949- ) is a Chinese American painter, photographer, and queer rights activist based in San Francisco, California. Chinn co-founded the Lesbians in the Visual Arts and Queer Cultural Center and has been an active member of the Asian American Women Artists Association.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Restrictions:
This interview is open for research.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its Oral History Program interviews available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. Quotation, reproduction and publication of the audio is governed by restrictions. If an interview has been transcribed, researchers must quote from the transcript. If an interview has not been transcribed, researchers must quote from the audio recording. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information
Occupation:
Photographers -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Painters -- California -- San Francisco Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Tyrus Wong, 1965 January 30. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral History interview with James Chan Leong, 1972 Oct. 17. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Seong Moy, 1971 Jan. 18-28. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Nancy Hom, 2020 August 30. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
United States. General Services Administration. Design Excellence and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Hung Liu, 2010 Apr. 25-29. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
United States. General Services Administration. Design Excellence and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Xiaoze Xie, 2010 May 10-11. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An interview of James Chan Leong conducted 1972 Oct. 17, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art. Leong discusses difficulties being a Chinese-American during school years in San Francisco; his army service and subsequent enrollment in the California College of Arts and Crafts on the G.I. Bill; further study in California and abroad; his art work and teaching; living and working in Rome, Italy; and other topics.
Leong would like it known that he has not heard the interview or read the transcript, and that he has requested additional interview time to make additions and ammendments.
Biographical / Historical:
James Chan Leong (1929-2011) was a Chinese American painter based in Rome, Italy.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 46 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Maya Ying Lin, 1983 March 6. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Washington, D.C.) Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Andrew Chinn, 1965 May 24. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art and state -- Washington (State) -- Seattle Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Dong Kingman, 1965 Jan. 12. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
