1920s - 40s
1927
Wo Yue-Kee (birth name Wo Shing-Yip) was born in Dongguan, Guangdong province, in August, 1927. His father, Wo Ming-Sen, owned a fireworks business.
1934
Wo enters primary school. In 1936, the family moves to Hong Kong.
1941
Wo's family returns to Dongguan, ahead of the Japanese military occupation of Hong Kong.
1944
Wo demonstrates a talent for art, often drawing portraits of classmates. With the encouragement of his teachers, Wo organises his first exhibition at school.
Leaves home at age 17 to continue education at Shek Long Secondary School where he and classmates board together. Wo also enjoys sports, plays on the school's basketball team.
1946
On completing secondary school, Wo moves to Hong Kong.
Wo enrolls to study Western and Chinese painting with Dongguan native, Liu Junren at the International Art School in Yau Ma Tei.
1948
In fall of 1948, Wo exhibits at a group show organised by the art school which Chao Shao-an, a prominent figure of the Lingnan school of painting, attends. Chao had moved to Hong Kong from Guangzhou the year before and was not accepting students at the time.
In spring 1949, a newspaper ad announces the opening of Chao's studio in Hong Kong. Wo and two classmates from the art school apply immediately. Wo studies with Chao for the next 10 years.
1950s
1952
Wo participates in his first exhibition, a group show held by the Singapore Art Society with Chao Shao-an, Yang Shanshen, Fang Zhaoling, and Lu Canming (father of Lui Shou-Kwan).
Wo takes up the post of art teacher at Tack Ching Girls' Secondary School in Sham Shui Po. Death of his father.
1954
Wo participates with a student of Chao Shao-an in a joint exhibition hosted by the Auckland Society of Art in New Zealand.
From here on, Wo exhibits yearly in Hong Kong and overseas.
1955
Wo holds his first one-person exhibition in Hong Kong at St. John's Cathedral Hall on this year and the next.
Wo takes up a teaching position at Pak Yu School in the New Territories.
1957
Participates in a group exhibition of Hong Kong artists at the "1st Young Asian Artists Exhibition" in Japan.
1958
In August, Wo marries Miss Margaret Chan, an English teacher at Pak Yu School. That summer he begins live sketches for "Rest for the toilers" in the New Territories.
1959
Completes diptych 'Rest for the toilers'. Chao Shao-an inscribes a colophon and adds flourishing touches. Wo also completes the diptych 'Devotion' on which Chao inscribes praise for the work and Wo's artistry.
Begins teaching in a secondary school in Wong Tai Sin. Birth of his first child - a girl.
1960s
1964
Wo participates in travelling exhibitions in West Germany sponsored by the Asian Cultural Research Centre.
In the fall, Wo holds his first one-person exhibition at The Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong and meets American businessman and art collector Albert Hydeman on his annual visit to Asia. Hydeman, a collector of American artists turns his focus in the coming years to works by Chinese artists.
Birth of his fourth child - a boy.
1965
Albert Hydeman, together with Virginia Berresford, arrange Wo’s first one-person exhibition at Berresford Gallery in Menemsha on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
1966
With Hydeman’s support, Wo has one-person exhibitions in Missouri's Springfield Art Museum and Albrecht Art Center. He holds his second one-person exhibition at Berresford Gallery.
In Hong Kong, Wo completes two monumental multi-panel works, "Lotus World" (xx panels) and "Lotus in the Rain" (6 panels) in preparation for his next exhibition.
1960
With support from friends in Canada, Wo holds one-person exhibitions at McGill University and Loyala College, Montreal.
Birth of his second child - a boy.
1961
Wo, with students of the Lingnan Art Studio, form “Today's Art Association.” The primary aim of the association was “to promote New Chinese painting, to study and learn from nature, using traditional techniques as a foundation, to develop new subjects and new techniques, so as to reflect the spirit of the times. Each is allowed to develop his individual character. There are no restrictions to adhere to, nor is there the intent to be deliberately different. The sole aim is to promote Chinese painting.”
Later in the year Wo exhibits at a group show organised by the Chinese culture Foundation in Honolulu, Hawaii.
1962
Today's Art Association members hold a joint exhibition of the Lingnan school in Taipei, Taiwan.
Birth of his third child - a girl.
1967
Wo's second one-person show at Hong Kong's Peninsula Hotel features 120 paintings of lotus.
1968
A decade ago while on honeymoon, the Wo's meet friends from Malaysia. At their invitation, the Wo's and their three eldest children visit south east Asia. In Singapore, Wo holds a one-person exhibition at the invitation of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. In Malaysia, the Minister of Lands, Housing & Urban Department Xu Qimo gives welcoming remarks at Wo’s exhibition opening at Samat Gallery.
Later that year, with the help of Hydeman and friends in the US, Wo has his first one-person exhibition at Agra Gallery, Washington D.C., and second show at Berresford Gallery.
Publication of "Henry Wo Yue-Kee's Chinese Paintings."
1969
In the summer, Wo travels to the USA for his first exhibition tour and holds one-person exhibitions at Stanford University in California, the China Institute in New York City, and Agra Gallery in Washington D.C.
While on Martha’s Vineyard for a show at Berresford Gallery, Wo spends time with Hydeman and residents of the island, including American artist Thomas Hart Benton and photojournalist Alfred Eisenstaedt. Wo sets up studio at a friend's home in Virginia. At the request of friends and artists in the D.C. area, he teaches workshops for a month. Wo's sketches throughout this visit form the basis for an exhibition and publication the year after.
On his return to Hong Kong, Wo visits England, France, Holland, Switzerland, and Italy where he saw works by Reubens, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. Wo steps down from his teaching position in Hong Kong.
1970s
1970
Selected works are displayed at the United States Information Agency in Hong Kong in an exhibition titled “Impressions of Travels to America.”
One-person exhibition at the Hong Kong Hilton Hotel. Wo participates in a charity sale at the Mandarin Hotel. Hong Kong Lions Club chairman Liang Zhifeng hosts the event.
Publication of “Drawings.”
1971
One-person exhibition in Saigon, South Vietnam.
Travels to Taipei for the opening of his first one-person exhibition at the Taiwan Provincial Museum (now National Taiwan Museum). Wo visits Au Ho-Nien, now professor at the private Chinese Culture University.
Later in the year, Hydeman and friends arrange exhibitions in Texas for Wo in Austin, Bryan, and Dallas.
1972 demonstration of traditional Chinese painting at St. John's University, New York
1972
A one-person exhibition at Hong Kong City Hall.
Wo embarks on his second exhibition tour to the US and Canada. The visit spans summer to winter months. Wo exhibits in Toronto, Cleveland, Washington D.C., Princeton, Yale, New York City, Martha’s Vineyard, Mobile City, and Dallas. He sets up studio in Virginia.
“Howling Tiger” and “Red Lotus and Goldfish” respectively enter the collections of Amherst University and Reader’s Digest Headquarters.
Publishes “Chinese Watercolours.”
1973
In Hong Kong, Wo holds his third one-person exhibition at The Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. He travels to open one-person exhibitions in Malaysia and Singapore.
Wo has a one-person show at Spiva Art Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
1974
Wo visits Australia for a travelling one-person exhibition in Melbourne, Sydney, and Hamilton. Wo continues on to Saigon, South Vietnam, to hold his second one-person exhibition at the Vietnamese-American Association. Wo extends his visit to conduct workshops for students of Chao Shao-an who had previously only taken lessons via correspondence.
In the US, Wo’s patrons arrange a third exhibition in Dallas at Quadrangle Galleries.
Wo travels to China.
1975
Death of Wo's mother. In the summer, Wo holds a “Farewell Hong Kong” solo exhibition at City Hall. Shortly after, the Wo family relocate to Alexandria, Virginia near Washington D.C.
Wo has a one-person exhibition at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Center in Toronto. First one-person exhibition in Tolley Gallery, Washington D.C.
1976
In the early years of living in the US, Wo holds one-person exhibitions across the US, in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Minnesota, Alabama, California, and in Canada.
Among the gallery exhibitions between 1976-1979, Wo is invited to one-person exhibitions at the Chinese Cultural Center in Boston, Tolley Galleries in Washington D.C., A.B. Closson Gallery in Cincinnati, and Newman Galleries in Pennsylvania.
1979
One-person exhibition at Pennsylvania’s Westmoreland County Museum of Art.
Wo returns to Hong Kong for a one-person exhibition at City Hall.
1980s
1980
One-person exhibitions at the Athenaeum in Old Town Alexandria, John Hopkins University in Maryland, and Mobile Art Museum in Alabama.
Publication of “Chinese Paintings of Henry Wo Yue-Kee.”
1981
On Wo's trip to China, he visits Qian Songlei, Huang Zhou, Cheng Shifa, Zhang Xinjia, Xu Shiming and other masters of Chinese painting.
In the US, Wo exhibits at Roanoke Museum of Art in Virginia, Coffey & Thompson Gallery in North Carolina, Williamsburg Twentieth Century Gallery in Virginia, and Tolley Galleries in D.C.
1982
Wo sets up studio at Torpedo Factory and is the first Asian tenant of the artist-run space. He works there for the next decade, gaining many students in the wider D.C. area.
1983
One-person exhibitions at Tolley Gallery in D.C., Callaway Gallery in Minnesota, and Edgartown Gallery in Massachusetts.
1984
Wo is given a one-person exhibition at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. During Wo's visit to China, he connects with contemporaries for painting collaborations and to exchange works. In Beijing, he visits Fan Zeng, Huang Zhou, and Wo Zuoren, then honorary dean at the Central Academy of Fine Arts; in Shanghai, Cheng Shifa; in Guangzhou, Guan Shanyue and Li Xiongcai. In July, Wo is appointed honorary president of the Dongguan Art Academy.
He returns for a one-person show at the Hong Kong City Hall.
In the same year, Wo holds solo exhibitions at the Prince Royal Galleries in Virginia and Golden Door Gallery in Pennsylvania.
1985
Between 1985 and 1989, Wo continues to exhibit widely in the US at galleries and museums. Wo's demonstrations of his style of modern Lingnan painting is for many the first instance seeing traditional Chinese brush painting in action. Wo holds one-person exhibitions in Alabama, Ohio, Virginia, Massachusetts, and the West Indies.
1987
Wo returns to China for visits to Huangshan, Suzhou, and Guilin.
1989
Wo's fourth one-person exhibitions at the Mobile Art Museum in Alabama and at Granary Gallery on Martha's Vineyard.
1990s
1990
One-person exhibitions at York College in Pennsylvania and at the Chinese Cultural Association in Boston.
1992
Publication of "The Paintings of Henry Wo Yue-Kee," with forewords by Fu Shen, senior curator of Chinese art at the Freer and Sackler Gallery, and by artist and collector Wang Jiqian (CC Wang).
One-person exhibitions at Civic Garden Centre (now Toronto Botanical Garden) and at Eastern Shore Art Center in Alabama.
1993
Wo travels to Asia where he holds a solo exhibition at the National Museum of History in Taipei. While in Taiwan, he visits Au Ho-Nien.
Wo's works enter the collection of Taiwan's Yangmingshan Zhongshan Hall.
In November, Wo continues to Hong Kong for a one-person exhibition at the Fung Pingshan Museum at the University of Hong Kong.
1994
In the beginning of the year, Taiwan Museum of Art opens a one-person exhibition in Taichung and publishes "Art of Henry Wo Yue-Kee."
1996
Holds a one-person charity exhibition at the Hong Kong Jockey Club [Hu Yuji Chinese Painting-Ancient Yi Jin Qing] to raise funds for the Maryknoll Notre Dame Hospital. Hong Kong entrpreneur Stanley Ho opens the event.
1997
Travels to Taipei for 70th anniversary retrospective exhibitions. Has a one-person exhibition at the National Taiwan Cultural Center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall where the monumental 8 panel work, "The Fragrant Lotus" is displayed.
Holds a solo exhibition at Taiwan's Kangtai Foundation and Catholic Gengxin Hospital to raise funds for their Alzheimer's and dementia efforts.
Returns to Hong Kong for 70th birthday.
2000s
2000
One-person exhibition in Budapest supported by the Taipei Representative Office in Hungary.
2003
Publication of "The Inner World of Henry Wo Yue-Kee."
2005
Participates in "Essence of Purity - Exhibition to Commemorate the 100th Birthday of Chao Shao-an", jointly organised by Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the Guangzhou Museum of Art.
2006
Holds a one-person exhibition at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
2006
Publication of "The Poetic Spirit."
Holds one-person exhibitions at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and Guangzhou Art Museum.
Participates in the "Chinese Passion: Global Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Century Exhibition" organized by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, China Overseas Friendship Association, and Hong Kong Wen Wei Po.