Mott Street 2

Dong Kingman was a Chinese American artist best known for his watercolor paintings. He painted in the California Style of watercolor painting, which was defined by broad brush strokes and rich colors. He was born in Oakland, California in 1911 as Dong Moy Shu to immigrants from Hong Kong. At the age of 5, his family moved back to Hong Kong, where he began school. In accordance with Chinese naming traditions, he was given a school name - his instructor named him “King” and "Man” (meaning “scenery” and “composition” in Cantonese) after learning of Dong's artistic ambitions. He would later combine these names with his family name to create the name Dong Kingman. In his late teens, Dong moved back to the United States and attended the Fox Morgan Art School in Oakland. It was during this time that Kingman decided to concentrate on watercolor painting. In 1936, Kingman’s solo exhibition at the San Francisco Art Association became his critical breakthrough, gaining him acclaim in the art world and national recognition. During World War II, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, but was soon transferred to the Office of Strategic Service (OSS) to work as a cartographer by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who was a fan of his work. After the war, he went on to design backgrounds for a number of major Hollywood films, most notably the film adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein's “Flower Drum Song.” He passed away at the age of 89.