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The Arts Intel Report

Matthew Wong: The Realm of Appearances

Matthew Wong, See you on the Other Side, 2019.

July 1, 2023 – Feb 18, 2024
465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA

In an interview in 2019, just after the artist Matthew Wong committed suicide, his mother spoke of his depression. “He would just tell me, ‘You know, Mom, my mind, I’m fighting with the Devil every single day, every waking moment of my life.’” Wong was an artist for six years, from 2013 until his death, and his paintings were winning admiration for their ebullient color, their melancholy yet mystical scenes. Critics compared Wong to Milton Avery, Vincent van Gogh, and Chardin. Others raved about his authenticity. Wong’s first U.S. museum retrospective, which opened at the Dallas Museum of Art and now comes to Boston, includes approximately 50 paintings—beautiful and haunting. —Elena Clavarino

Photo: Alex Yudzon/© 2023 Matthew Wong Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York