Amy Leong Pang (1908–1989) was a painter from

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

. Of

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

descent, Leong Pang was born in

Princes Town Princes Town (originally founded as Savana Grande) is a town within an eponymous region, located on south-Central Trinidad island in Trinidad and Tobago. The population of the town is 28,335. History Founded as the Amerindian '' Mission of S ...

and sent to school in China; she is known to have painted while there. After her return to Trinidad and Tobago she moved to

Port of Spain Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient dail ...

. In 1929 she was among the founders of the Society of Trinidad Independents; other members included C. L. R. James,

Alfred Mendes Alfred Hubert Mendes MM (18 November 1897 – 1991) was a Trinidadian and Tobagonian novelist and short-story writer. He was a leading member of the 1930s "Beacon group" of writers (named after the literary magazine '' The Beacon'') in Trinidad ...

Albert Gomes Albert Maria Gomes (25 March 1911 – 13 January 1978) was a Trinidadian unionist, politician, and writer of Portuguese descent, was the first Chief Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. He was the founder of the Political Progress Groups and later l ...

, Ivy Achoy, and

Hugh Stollmeyer Hugh Stollmeyer (13 January 1912 – 12 June 1982) was an artist from Trinidad and Tobago. Early life and the Trinidad Independents Hugh Stollmeyer was born in Trinidad and Tobago, the southernmost country in the Caribbean, on 13 January 1912. T ...

, with whom she would go on to develop a close working relationship. The group met in private homes to paint and discuss ideas, but was condemned for being bohemian and disbanded in 1938. Leong Pang would go on to help found the Trinidad Art Society in 1943. Leong Pang was intensely private, but continued to be supportive of other local artists until her death;

Boscoe Holder Boscoe Holder (16 July 1921 – 21 April 2007), born Arthur Aldwyn Holder in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago, was Trinidad and Tobago's leading contemporary painter, who also had a celebrated international career spanning six decades as a designer and ...

and Carlisle Chang are among those whose works she influenced, as well as

Althea McNish Althea McNish (15 May 1924 – 16 April 2020) was an artist from Trinidad who became the first Black British textile designer to earn an international reputation. Born in Trinidad, McNish moved to Britain in the 1950s. She was associated with ...

. She married the archaeologist John Albert Bullbrook, but it was said to be a

lavender marriage A lavender marriage is a male–female mixed-orientation marriage, undertaken as a marriage of convenience to conceal the socially stigmatized sexual orientation of one or both partners. The term dates from the early 20th century and is used almo ...

, as both were

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

References

1908 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago painters Trinidad and Tobago women painters Trinidad and Tobago people of Chinese descent Lesbian painters Trinidad and Tobago lesbians People from Princes Town region 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago LGBTQ people 20th-century women painters {{Caribbean-artist-stub