Born in Nanjing, China in 1929, Chinyee began her formal education in Chongqing where she and her family were forced to seek refuge during the Sino-Japanese War. In 1947, she was awarded a four year scholarship to study Fine Arts at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York. She then went on to receive a Master’s degree in Art Education from New York University in 1952. Chinyee associates herself with the New York School of Abstract Expressionism. Having been trained in traditional methods, including drawing, watercolour and oil, she first started painting in a realistic manner. It was during the 1950s that she began to experiment in semi-abstract art, then later, total abstraction. It was through her gradual adoption of abstract painting that Chinyee seems to have found the place where her passion lies.

Chinyee’s work combines both Eastern spirit and Western expression. Her gestural and loose brushstrokes reflect both Asian brush techniques and years of careful study of modernist abstraction. The spontaneity of touch, the sense of excitement in the off-set compositions, and the unexpected bursts of colours are all genuine expressions of her mood, emotions and life experiences.

Her work has been honoured by UNICEF in its educational films, and by the U.S. Department of States “Art in Embassies Program”. They are also collected by collectors around the world.

The exhibition will first exhibit at the Hong Kong Arts Centre from 24-30 April 2013 and it will continue at Alisan Fine Arts from 2-18 May 2013.

Image: © Chinyee, Alisan Fine Arts