Drama by Hon Chew Hee

Hon Chew Hee (1906–1993)
Born in Kahului, Maui, Hon Chew Hee spent much of his childhood in China, where he received his early training in traditional Chinese brush painting. At 14, he returned to the United States to continue his studies at the San Francisco Art Institute, later attending the Art Students League and Columbia University in New York. In the 1950s, he studied in Paris under Fernand Léger and André Lhote, drawing inspiration from the modernist works of Jean Arp.

Hee lived in San Francisco during the 1930s, founding the Chinese Art Association before returning to Hawai‘i in 1935. There, he taught and painted, blending Eastern and Western techniques, and—alongside Isami Doi—introduced woodcarving and printmaking to a new generation of island artists. He also founded the Hawai‘i Watercolor and Serigraph Society, further shaping the local art community.

Throughout his career, Hee produced both figurative and abstract works, including murals commissioned by the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. His most recognized public works include The History of Medicine at Hilo Hospital and murals at Honolulu International Airport, Manoa Library, and several schools across the islands. Today, his paintings and prints can be found in the collections of the Hawai‘i State Art Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Hawai‘i State Capitol, the National Taiwan Museum, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.