Matthew Wong

During his short — but momentous — career, Matthew Wong changed the trajectory of contemporary painting. Born in 1984 in Toronto, Canada, Wong received an NFA in photography from the City University of Hong Kong in 2013. He turned to painting and drawing shortly after graduation. Using his self-taught technique derived from online forums and library books, Wong created canvases that are internally acclaimed for their colour and dynamism.

Wong’s early works were marked by their vivid colours and expressive brushstrokes, capturing the complexities of human emotion and the beauty of natural landscapes. As a painter, Wong is known for his skilful blend of Western and Eastern influences, drawing inspiration from post-Impressionism, Fauvism and traditional Chinese painting.

Borrowing from traditional Chinese compositions, Wong’s evocative play of flatness include multiple perspectives and vantagepoints, which exist simultaneously on one canvas. His depth of references was as diverse as Yayoi Kusama’s fields of pattern and colour, Henri Matisse’s dreamy interiors, Vincent van Gogh’s poignant landscapes, and Pablo Picasso’s foundational collages and portraits.

Despite his relatively short career, Wong's work received significant attention and praise. His paintings have been exhibited in major galleries and museums, attracting collectors and art enthusiasts worldwide. Notable exhibitions of Matthew Wong's art include his solo shows at the Karma Gallery in New York and the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, where his pieces were celebrated for their emotional depth and technical prowess.

In addition to his paintings, the artist died in 2019 at the age of 35, Wong’s has garnered international interest and auction market appeal. In 2022 Christie’s sold his painting Green Room for US$5,340,000.