Chee Chin S. Cheung Lee

After immigrating to the U.S. in 1914, Chee Chin S. Cheung Lee trained at the California School of Fine Arts between 1921 and 1922 under the mentorship of Spencer Macky and Gottardo Piazzoni. He soon began exhibiting his paintings in regional annuals as well as shows organized by a growing group of artists of Asian descent in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a member of the East West Art Society, Lee became close associates with Chiura Obata, Matsusaburo George Hibi, and Tokio Ueyama, as well as members of the Chinese Art Association of America (later the Chinatown Artists Club), including Nanying Stella Wong, Eva Fong Chan, David P. Chun, and Dong Kingman. The de Young Museum held a well-received solo exhibition of Lee’s drawings and watercolors in 1943. Most of his surviving works today consist of lithographs, produced while working for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1936 and 1937.

Authored by Anna Lee, curatorial assistant for Asian American art, 2025.