Chao-Chen Yang: Full Light and Perfect Shadow

This groundbreaking exhibition and accompanying publication are the first study of the work of Chao-Chen Yang (1909-1969), an important Seattle photographer who gained national prominence in the mid-20th century.

Born in Hangzhou, China, Yang received his art training at the University of Hsin-Hwa in Shanghai. After graduating, he became the Art Director for the Government Institute of Nanking. In 1933, he moved to Chicago as Chancellor of the Chinese Consulate and attended the Art Institute of Chicago. Initially trained as a painter, he soon began his serious study of photography. In 1939 Yang was transferred to Seattle as Chancellor of the Chinese Consulate and became actively involved with the Seattle Photographic Society.

Mr. Yang won numerous awards in important photography salons and became a Fellow of The Photographic Society of America, the Professional Photographers Association of America, and the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain. He was a pioneer in color photography in the Northwest. In 2023, the Yang family donated the artistic estate of Chao-Chen Yang to our permanent collection.

The exhibition is accompanied by a hard cover book written by our curator, David F. Martin in association with the University of Washington Press.