Hung Liu: Groundbreaking Oakland Artist Dies at 73

Hung Liu had cemented her place in Oakland history with a long life of contributing art she believed had the power to “change the world.”

It was announced Monday that the 73-year-old painter died over the weekend from late-stage pancreatic cancer. Her passing comes less than two months before an exhibit of her work opens at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., where she will make history posthumously as the first Asian American woman to be honored with a solo show at the institution. 

A girl born in 1948 Maoist China, Liu later carved an opportunity in the U.S. to highlight the struggle of basic human rights, drawing on both Chinese and American subjects in striking images depicting some of the harshest aspects of life. She was known for transforming historical photographs into timeless paintings in muted colors eerily softened with drips of linseed oil, giving her work a grey feel matching the emotional nature of the captured realities.

Her artist website bio reads:

“She summons the ghosts of history to the present. In effect, Liu turns old photographs into new paintings.”   

Hung Liu: Shanghai Triad, 1998-2006. Oil on canvas. Palm Springs Art Museum. (Photo courtesy of Rocor)

While her work has been collected and showcased all over the country, she remained in Oakland, teaching new generations of creators at Mills College for two decades. One of her happier pieces, “Going Away, Coming Home,” has been on bright and beautiful display at the Oakland International Airport since 2006, the 80 red-crowned cranes dancing through the sky, in a way willing peace, prosperity and safe return onto passengers along their journeys.

Though much of her work depicted despair, it didn’t shy from small moments of joy that shine even in dark days, tha make another hard step a little more tolerable. A sense of hope was carefully woven into the sadness. 

Oakland, Calif. legendary artist Hung Liu died in August 2021 at the age of 73. (Photo courtesy of Kelliu52/CC)

Her friends and colleagues remembered her Monday for the joyous spirit Liu retained and shared through her life. 

Lori Fogarty, director at the Oakland Museum, said:

“Hung’s work bridged cultures, spanned history, and connected hearts around the world. … Beyond her artistic career and her stunning paintings, Hung was a beloved friend. She was vibrant, funny, playful, and joyous. She was also strong, fierce, and courageous. She was the most generous of people and the hardest working. She painted nearly every day and was continually finding inspiration for her insatiable curiosity and creativity. And she had the ability to make everyone with whom she came in contact feel special and honored. We count ourselves so lucky to have known her.”