VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The Jung Center of Houston presents the exhibition Willy Wang: A group show. On view December 1 through December 21.

This exhibition is a tribute to the artists' master, Willy Wang, who has taught the group on this subject for the past 19 years. The works include paintings, drawings, and sculptures on human subjects and are done in different mediums.

Willy Wang graduated from the sculpture department of the Beijing Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1962 and later immigrated to the United States in 1981.

His style of sculpting largely reflects naturalism and realism. Wang’s talent resides in his ability to capture the innate quality and essence of his human subjects. He recreates life with striking accuracy, lucidity, intensity, depth and dimension. A listing of his works includes a marble sculpture of Madame Sun-yat-sen at China’s Fine Arts Museum in Beijing; a replica of this at Wellesley College, MA for her alma mater; a marble sculpture of Dr. Sun-yat-sen at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.; a bronze cast of George Brown in the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston; a bronze bust of Cary Grant in Beverly Hills; a full-sized bronze statue of A. Kaprieliam at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles; a bronze statue of William P. Hobby at the Texas State Capital; “Jesus Healing“ for the Methodist Hospital, Houston; four bas-relief bronzes of former president George H. W. Bush installed in the downtown civic park for the Greater Houston Community Foundation; a bronze bust of mathematician Mr.Shiing Shen Chern in Tenjing, China and now he completes the Confucius statue in Houston.

Several of his contemporary pieces such as “Embrace” and “Dance of the East” reside in private collections and huge marble sculpture “Thinking” in the International Sculpture Park in Beijing, China. These works though more abstractly construed, still exhibit the same exquisite technique, rich and harmonious expression of Wang’s talent.

Wang uses a wide range of art forms to convey his inner feelings and genuine passions. His sketches, oil paintings, murals, posters and caricatures all demonstrate his compelling talent for capturing human life, mastering a craftsmanship, and brilliantly executing his vision through art. Some of these works include the “Great Evans Mural” in Los Angeles (60’ x 16’), oil painting of Bishop Clinton S. Quin in St. Luke’s Hospital, Houston, and Bishop Don A. Wimberly in The University of South, Sewanee, TN. etc. and a published collection of his exceedingly popular caricatures of movie stars.

Aside from being an actively commissioned artist, Wang also devotedly teaches art at the Willy Wang Workshop. His students come from various backgrounds and professions and often show significant progress after attending his workshops over a few years.

Wang is a member of the Chinese Artists’ Society and the National Sculpture Society of America. Several of his pieces appear in China’s Fine Arts Museum and in public exhibitions across the America, Europe, Asia and Africa.