# Yun Gee

Yun Gee (Chinese: 朱远芷; pinyin: Zhū Yuánzhǐ; 1906–1963) was a Chinese American modernist artist. He lived and painted in San Francisco, Paris, and New York City, and was considered one of the most daring avant-garde painters during his time.

## Biography

Gee was born in 1906 to Gee Quong On (Chinese: 朱廣安) and Wong Ji Li (also Wong See) as the third of four children in Kaiping, being raised in Yanglu Town, Changsha Subdistrict. His father was a merchant who lived in San Francisco and, when Gee turned 15 in 1921, Gee crossed the seas aboard SS Taiyo Maru to join his father while his mother remained in China. Because the United States' Asian Exclusion Act prohibited legal immigration by Chinese women, once Gee was in San Francisco he never saw his mother again.
Gee was able to obtain US citizenship and later enrolled at the California School of Fine Arts (present day San Francisco Art Institute). He studied painting and drawing with Otis Oldfield, who became his life-long friend. While in San Francisco, Gee lived in Chinatown and became friends with several avant-garde artists like Kenneth Rexroth, Jehanne Bietry-Salinger, John Ferren, Dorr Bothwell, and Ruth Cravath. With this group of artists, Gee and Oldfield established the Modern Gallery on Montgomery Street in 1926. In 1926, Gee also founded the Chinese Revolutionary Artists' Club, where he taught classes in advanced painting techniques and theory. Its initial members were all young Chinese immigrant men, and it had a small studio in Chinatown (at 150 Wetmore Place), which provided much of their subjects. As summarized by Oldfield, the club focused on "doing [modernist oil] work that is essentially Chinese." Art historian Anthony W. Lee, examining Gee's position in the political spectrum at the time between the Chinese Communist Party and the nationalist Kuomintang, wrote that Gee, despite being close to the Kuomintang, probably saw "the club a potential ally of the CP and thought optimistically of a nationalist regime that would incorporate theories and organizational skills from the Soviet Union," although he "was not a doctrinaire Marxist and never joined the CP". The club dissolved sometime in the 1930s.

### Paris

In 1927, Gee moved to Paris under the patronage of Prince and Princess Achille Murat. He quickly befriended prominent artists of the Parisian avant-garde and exhibited his work alongside them at the Salon des Indépendants. While in Paris he also met Princess Paule de Reuss, whom he married in 1930. However, the marriage was challenging for the Princess, as she was disowned by her family and friends. In the same year of their marriage, Gee left Paris for New York and the couple eventually divorced in 1932.

### New York

Gee's artwork was celebrated in New York but despite being included in exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, Gee struggled during the Depression and experienced strong racial discrimination. Though he was heavily involved with the Chinese community, Gee found New York unbearable and returned to Paris in 1936. During this period, his work received critical acclaim. He was exhibited widely, most notably at the Galerie Lion d’Or in Lausanne and Galerie à la Reine Margot.
During World War II, Gee returned to New York in 1939. Three years later, he married Helen Wimmer, who had left New Jersey when she was sixteen to live with him. They had one daughter, Li-Lan, in 1943. According to Wimmer's memoirs, during this period Gee was employed at a defense-industry company, worked six days per week, and returned home to paint at night.
The couple divorced in 1947 and Wimmer eventually went on to be a gallery owner, photography curator, lecturer and writer. Gee succumbed to alcoholism. In 1950, he met Velma Aydelott, who was his companion until he died from stomach cancer in 1963.

## Art Work

While studying in San Francisco, Oldfield's Cézanne-inspired paintings influenced Gee's artistic style, as did Gottardo Piazzoni. As a result, from the onset of his artistic career Gee's work explored the tension and contrast between warm and cool colors. Additionally, Gee was also influenced by Eastern and Western poetry, and frequently wrote original compositions to accompany his paintings. Critics note how his poems combine Chinese style word-play and Taoist themes with the western avant-garde poetic themes of his time, such as the work of Gertrude Stein. Additionally, Gee's separation from his mother was also a reoccurring theme in his artwork.
Critics believe that Gee's subsequent interest in "Diamondism" occurred when he found the Chinese Revolutionary Artists' Club in 1926. Diamondism is a set of art principles that bring together the spiritual, intellectual, and practical aspects of painting. Developed by Gee, Diamondism reflects his interest in perception and the (im)possibility of absolute truth.
During his time in New York, however, Gee's work turned towards the political. He became an active fundraiser for causes in China, where one of his most notable efforts was the completion of a large mural on K Street as a contribution for the Chinese Flood Relief campaign. His artwork during this period synthesized his previous aesthetics with cubist and realist influences. After his divorce from Wimmer, Gee's artwork turned towards an abstract expressionist style that combined both Parisian and Asian influences.
In addition to his artwork, Gee was also a musician and played several traditional Chinese instruments. He was also interested in theater and dance. He was heavily involved in the writing and stage design for "Kuan Chung's Generosity", a WPA Theatre project in 1930 and danced at the Institute of Chinese Studies.
His work was shown in 2011 at the Tina Keng Gallery, Taipei in Taiwan. The exhibit was titled "Yun Gee: The Art of Place".

## Exhibitions

The following list was compiled by the Tina Keng Gallery.
Solo Exhibitions :
| 2011 | Yun Gee: The Art of Place, Tina Keng Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 2005 | Yun Gee: A Modernist Painter, Marlborough Gallery, New York, NY, USA |
| 2004-2003 | The Art of Yun Gee, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, USA |
| 2002 | Chambers Fine Art, New York, USA |
| | Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 1998 | Yun Gee, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 1995 | Yun Gee: San Francisco, Paris, New York, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 1992 | The Art of Yun Gee, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 1991 | Jan Holloway Gallery, San Francisco, USA |
| 1983 | Vanderwoude Tananbaum Gallery, New York, USA |
| 1980-1979 | The Paintings of Yun Gee, The William Benton Museum of Art, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT; Weatherspoon Art Gallery, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC; The Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA; Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, ME |
| 1968 | Robert Schoelkopf Gallery, New York, USA |
| 1963-1962 | Gudenzi Galleria, New York, USA |
| 1948 | The Jersey City Museum, Jersey City, NJ, USA |
| 1947 | China Institute in America, New York, USA |
| 1946 | Officers Club, Fort Hamilton, NY, USA |
| | Lucien Labaudt Gallery, San Francisco, USA |
| 1945 | Lilienfeld Gallery, New York, USA |
| 1943 | Milch Galleries, New York, USA |
| 1942 | Milch Galleries, New York, USA |
| 1940 | Temple's Exhibition Galleries, New York, USA |
| | Mural “The Spirit of Chinese Resistance” shown at Young China Club, New York, USA |
| | Montross Gallery, New York, USA |
| 1937 | Galerie à la Reine Margot, Paris, France |
| 1936 | Galerie à la Reine Margot, Paris, France |
| 1934 | Exhibition of Yun Gee paintings, conjoined with Yun Gee: First Dance Recital, at The National Musical Benefit Society, New York, USA |
| 1933 | The San Francisco Art Center, San Francisco, USA |
| | Painting “Last Supper” shown at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Bronx, NY, USA |
| 1932 | Milch Galleries, New York, USA |
| | Balzac Galleries, New York, USA |
| 1931 | In Tempo Gallery, New York, USA |
| 1929 | Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, France |
| 1928 | Galerie des Artiste et Artisan, Paris, France |
| 1927 | Galerie Carmime, Paris, France |
| 1926 | The Modern Gallery, San Francisco, USA |
| Selected Two Person Exhibitions ||
| 2008 | Experiences of Passage: The Paintings of Yun Gee and Li-lan, Lin & Keng Galler, Beijing, China |
| | Experiences of Passage: ThePaintings of Yun Gee and Li-lan, Jason McCoy, New York, NY, USA |
| 2004 | Sanyu & Yun Gee 1926–1960, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 1993 | The Art Works of Sanyu and Yun Gee, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 1988 | Yun Gee and Li-lan: Paintings by a Father and Daughter, Southampton Campus Fine Arts Gallery, Long Island University, Southampton, NY, USA |
| Selected Group Exhibitions ||
| 2013 | Art Basel in Hong Kong 2013, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC), Hong Kong |
| 2011 | Artistes chinois à Paris, musée Cernuschi, Paris, France |
| 2009 | The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia, 1860–1989, Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, USA |
| | R/evolution, Tina Keng Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 2008 | Asian/American/Modern Art Shifting Currents, 1900–1970, de Young Museum, San Francisco, USA |
| | Madonna meets Mao: Selected Works from the Yageo Foundation Collection, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Dresden, Germany |
| 2007 | Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| | Art In America: 300 Years of Innovation, Guggenheim Museum, NY, USA; National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China; Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai, China; Inaugural Exhibition, Lin & Keng Gallery, Beijing, China |
| | Cubism In Asia, The Japan Foundation, Japanese cultural House in Paris (French: Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris), Paris, France |
| 2006 | The International Asian Art Fair, Marlborough Gallery, New York, USA |
| | The Seventh Regiment Armory, Marlborough Gallery, New York, USA |
| | China International Gallery Exposition, Marlborough Gallery, Beijing, China |
| | Art Basel 37, Marlborough Gallery, Miami Beach, Fla., USA |
| 2005 | China International Gallery Exposition, Lin & Keng Gallery, Beijing, China |
| | The Seventh Regiment Armory, Marlborough Gallery, New York, USA |
| | Landscape – Cityscape, Marlborough Gallery, New York, USA |
| | Art Singapore, The Contemporary Asian Art Fair, Lin & Keng Gallery, Singapore |
| | Summer Dream, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| | Works on Paper, Marlborough Gallery, New York, USA |
| | Chinese Masters II, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 2004 | The Not-So Still Life: A Century of California Painting and Sculpture, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, USA |
| | Art Singapore, The Contemporary Asian Art Fair, Lin & Keng Gallery, Singapore |
| | China International Gallery Exposition, Lin & Keng Gallery, Beijing, China |
| 2004-2003 | The Not-So Still Life: A Century of California Painting and Sculpture, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, USA |
| 2003 | Themes on Women, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 2003-2002 | From Emperors to Hoi Polloi: Portraits of An Era, 1851–1945, The Wolfsonian Museum, Florida International University, Miami Beach, USA |
| 2002 | On-Ramps: Transitional Moments In California Art, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, USA |
| 2001-2000 | The Pacific Makes Us Neighbors, Residence: U.S. Ambassador to Beijing, Art in Embassies Program, Beijing, China |
| | On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience, Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, USA |
| | Made in California: Art, Image, and Identity, 1900–2000, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, USA |
| 2000 | Works on Paper 1929–1949, Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 1998 | Changing Perspectives on Modernism, University of Oregon Museum of Art, Eugene, OR, USA |
| 1995 | Facing Eden: 100 Years of Landscape Art in the Bay Area, M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, USA |
| | With New Eyes: Toward an Asian American Art History in the West, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, USA |
| 1994 | Four Senior Painters in Early Spring, Lung Men Art Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 1977 | Selections from the Lawrence H. Bloedel Bequest and Related Works from the Permanent Collection, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA |
| | The Great East River Bridge, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, USA |
| | Empire City and the Age of Urbanism (1875-45), Grand Central Galleries, New York, USA |
| 1975 | Art on Paper, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC, USA |
| 1974 | Inaugural Exhibition, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC, USA |
| 1944 | Portrait of America, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA |
| | Opening Exhibition “Inter-Racial Art”, International Print Society, New York, USA |
| 1942 | The 8th Annual Group Exhibition by American Artists, Montross Gallery, New York, USA |
| 1941 | Art for China, Ritz Tower, New York, USA |
| | Paintings by Fifty Oncoming Americans, Boston Institute of Modern Art, Boston, MA, USA |
| | Work by Twenty-Five Artists, Montross Gallery, New York, USA |
| 1939 | 6e Salon “Salon d’Éte: Peintures, Sculptures, Dessins, Aquarelles, Gouaches, Céramique”, Galerie Carmine, Paris, France |
| 1938 | Salon d’Automne, Paris, France |
| | Fleurs et Paysages, Galerie Carmine, Paris, France |
| | L'Exposition du Prix Paul-Guillaume, Galerie Berheim-Jeune, Paris, France |
| | 4e Salon de la Piste à l’Ecran, Galerie Carmine, Paris, France |
| | La Xve Exposition du Salon des Tuileries, Paris, France |
| | Exposition: Aquarelles, Gouches, Dessins, Galerie Contemporaine, Paris, France |
| | Exposition: Rentrée de Vacances 38, Galerie Carmine, Paris, France |
| | 5e Salon “Etrennes 38: Peintures, Sculptures, Dessins, Aquarelles, Gouaches, Céramique”, Galerie Carmine, Paris, France |
| | Salon des Indépendants, Paris, France |
| 1937 | Salon d’Automne, Paris, France |
| | Peinture Nouvelle, Galerie Le Niveau, Paris, France |
| | L’Enfant dans la Peinture Moderne, Galerie Le Niveau, Paris, France |
| | 4e Exposition “Octobre 37”, Galerie Carmine, Paris, France |
| 1936 | Annual Exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists, New York, NY, USA |
| 1935 | Annual Exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists, New York, NY, USA |
| 1934 | Annual Exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists, New York, NY, USA |
| 1933 | Annual Exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists, New York, NY, USA |
| 1932 | Murals by American Painters and Photographers, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA |
| | The Social Viewpoint in Art, John Reed Club, New York, USA |
| | Annual Exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists, New York, NY, USA |
| 1931 | Annual Exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists, New York, NY, USA |
| | Paintings, Sculpture, and Drawings by American and Foreign Artists, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, USA |
| 1930 | Salon des Indépendants, Paris, France |
| 1929 | Salon des Indépendants, Paris, France |
| 1928 | Salon des Indépendants, Paris, France |