Martin Wong Catalogue Raisonné Introduction
Channel: Stanford University Libraries Digital Library Systems & Services
Date: 2022-10-24

The Martin Wong Catalogue Raisonné (MWCR) is a free online resource documenting the work of the artist Martin Wong, who was born in 1946 and died of AIDS-related complications in 1999. The MWCR was first published in October 2022: https://exhibits.stanford.edu/martin-wong.

With detailed records of over 800 works of art, including paintings, drawings, poetry, prints, and sculptures, the MWCR provides an unprecedented overview of Wong’s artistic practice. Like a traditional catalogue raisonné, the MWCR provides comprehensive documentation of these works of art, including publication history, exhibition history, and provenance. The online format allows for functionality beyond a traditional print publication, including high-resolution, zoomable images, free access, and the ability to periodically add or edit entries. 

The MWCR contains information about the catalogue raisonne’s organization and editorial decisions; bibliographic apparatus including exhibition and publication history; and a wealth of primary source documentation, such as a multi-part interview with Wong’s best friend Gary Ware, richly illustrated with unpublished archival images taken by the artist’s mother and Ware himself. The MWCR also includes five new scholarly essays covering topics including Wong’s early ceramic works, and his rich array of source material. This video provides a brief demonstration of how to use the MWCR, and highlights key resources available. 

The Martin Wong Catalogue Raisonné is a collaboration between the Martin Wong Foundation, the Stanford Libraries, and Stanford’s Asian American Art Initiative (AAAI). It is the inaugural research project of the AAAI, which seeks to foster innovative research about Asian American artists and makers based on close study of objects and primary sources.