Ben John Chen

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

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm47ed756e8-247f-4b7b-afc4-b228a9f6fd78