David Wu Ject-key
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David Wu Ject-key | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 October 1890 Zhongshan, China |
| Died | 17 April 1968 (aged 77) |
| Alma mater | The Grand Central School of Art |
| Known for | Oil painting |
| Notable work | Desolation, General Officer |
| Movement | Realism |
| Partner | Elsebeth Kjaersgaard |
| David Wu Ject-key | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 伍澤樞 | ||
| Simplified Chinese | 伍泽枢 | ||
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David Wu Ject-key (Chinese: 伍澤樞; 1890 – 16 April 1968) was a Chinese-American painter born in Zhongshan, Guangdong province.
Early life and education
[edit]David Wu Ject-Key was one of the earliest Chinese artists to study abroad. Born in Zhongshan, Guangdong to a cultured family of scholars, Wu immigrated to Canada in 1902, studying, respectively, at the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in Montreal, Grand Central School of Art in New York and the Arts Student League, specializing in oil paintings and Western art history.[1]
Career
[edit]David Wu was an active and influential member of the Salons of America in 1931- 1934, and the Allied Artists of America, the National Academy of Design and the North Shore Arts Association in the 1950s. His work was also showcased in many touring exhibitions, including a sketching tour in Taiwan, as well as an exhibition with the Chinese American Association.[1]
Wu established clear recognition from all walks of life, thoroughly reflected and exemplified in his achievements and prizes gained throughout his life. These include the Salmagundi Club Award in 1956, the Allied Artist of America award in 1958, the Ranger Fund Purchase Award, and consecutive awards in The Artist in 1962. Furthermore, he also received the Knicker Bocker Award three times in 1957, 1961 and 1963, proving to the public and critics alike that his work was thoroughly well-received and anticipated. His piece entitled Desolation was awarded the Medal of Honor by the America Watercolor Society in 1962. His extensive collection of masterpieces were also displayed at the US Navy Museum in Washington D.C., the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences and the Maryhill Museum of Art. Even to this day the American Watercolor Society and the Salmagundi Club annually deliver the "D. Wu" and the "Elsie Ject-Key" memorial awards to talented artists, showing Wu’s legacy to a society which obviously still views him as an influential figure in the American art scene.[2]
Legacy
[edit]A number of awards have been named after David and Elsie, including The Elsie & David Wu Ject-Key Memorial Award at the 152nd Annual International Exhibition of the American Watercolor Society, The D.Wu / Elsie Ject-Key & Marion de Sola Mendes Memorial Award for Drawing of the National Association of Women Artists, Inc, The Elsie-Ject Key Award of the National Society of Painters in Acrylic, and The D.Wu & Elsie Ject-Key Memorial Award of the Salmagundi Club in New York City.[3]
Personal life
[edit]David Wu was married to Danish painter Elsie Kjaersgaard.[4]
At the time of David Wu’s death, Elsie asked a friend and member of the Chung Shan Association, a group that David had helped form many years earlier: “Is this cemetery only for the men of the Chung Shan Association?” The reply: “It is a cemetery for Chinese people, and you are one of us.”[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "(#521) David Wu Ject-Key". Sothebys.com. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
- ^ "(#521) 伍澤樞 自畫像 油彩畫布". Sothebys.com (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ Indursky, Bill (2019-12-29). "David Wu Ject-Key (1890-1968) & Elsie Kjorsgaard Ject-Key (1903-1985) memorial award for watercolor or oil". Salmagundi Club. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ Thorsheim, Mary Jo. "ANYONE FROM RINGSTED? Information needed for book about Danish-American artist and her artist husband".
- ^ "David Wu Ject-Key ( Chinese American 1890-1968) oil painting Woman w/ Red Hat | #498324292". Worthpoint. Retrieved 2025-06-05.