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Ben John Chen

National Portrait Gallery

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Object Details

Artist
Z. S. Liang, born 1953
Sitter
Ben John Chen, 1913-2013
Exhibition Label
Born Guangdong, China
Ben John Chen immigrated to the United States from Taiwan in the 1950s to attend Columbia University in New York City, where he became involved in international business. In 1965, Chen founded the Chinese Import and Export Council of America, and in 1981, he, along with Anna Chennault, founded the Asian American Republican National Federation and served as the federation’s chairman for three decades. During his tenure, Chen mobilized hundreds of thousands of Asian American voters to support the presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush. For decades, Chen fostered Chinese Americans’ participation in politics by supporting their political advancement, including that of Elaine Chao whom George W. Bush nominated as Secretary of Labor, a position she held from 2001 to 2009. Chen’s influential publications on the United States economy and politics encouraged cross-cultural conversations between the United States and China.
Nacido en Guangdong, China
Ben John Chen emigró a Estados Unidos desde Taiwán en la década de 1950 para estudiar en la Universidad de Columbia, Nueva York, donde se interesó en negocios internacionales. En 1965 fundó el Consejo Chino de Importación y Exportación de América, y en 1981, junto con Anna Chennault, fundó la Federación Nacional Republicana Asiático-Americana y se desempeñó como su director durante tres décadas. Bajo su administración, Chen movilizó a cientos de miles de votantes asiático-americanos en apoyo de las campañas presidenciales de Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush y George W. Bush. Chen promovió durante décadas la participación política de la comunidad chino-americana, apoyando su progreso en el servicio público. Así lo hizo con Elaine Chao, a quien George W. Bush nominó como Secretaria del Trabajo, puesto que ocupó de 2001 a 2009. Las influyentes publicaciones de Chen sobre la economía y la política estadounidenses estimularon diálogos interculturales entre Estados Unidos y China.
Provenance
The artist; Mina L. Chen
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Mr. Ben John Chen's wife PikNa Leung Chen
1998
Object number
NPG.2016.25
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© 1998, Zhuo Shu Liang
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 121.9 × 81.3cm (48 × 32")
Frame: 140.2 × 99.5 × 6.7 cm (55 3/16 × 39 3/16 × 2 5/8")
Place
United States\New York\Kings\New York\Manhattan Island
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Interior\Office
Painting
Costume\Academic\Cap and gown
Symbols & Motifs\Prize ribbon
Ben John Chen: Male
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.2016.25
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm47ed756e8-247f-4b7b-afc4-b228a9f6fd78

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