Martie Wing Young, professor of the history of art, emeritus, died on July 12 in Prescott, Arizona. He was 96. 

Young was a member of the Cornell faculty from 1959 to his retirement in 1998. His career at Cornell coincided with and influenced the growth of the university’s art collections and the development of its two art museums.

Credit: Provided

He became A. D. White Museum of Art’s curator of Asian art in 1963 and served as its acting director from 1967-68. During this time, he was a key participant in planning the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art – funded by Herbert Fisk Johnson, Class of 1922 – and commissioning I. M. Pei to be its architect. The Johnson Museum opened in 1973; Young served as the museum’s interim director from 1991-92.

“For me, the Johnson Museum of Art has had two great heroes, Mr. Johnson himself and Martie,” saidFrank Robinson, the Richard J. Schwartz Director (1992-2011) of the Johnson Museum. “He was the driving force behind the choice of I. M. Pei as the architect of the Johnson Museum, one of the finest museum buildings in this country, and it was Martie who convinced Pei to devote the fifth floor to a suite of galleries celebrating Asian art.”

Born in 1930 in Cleveland, Ohio, Young received his Ph.D. in art history from Harvard University in 1962, with a concentration in Chinese painting and ceramics. 

An expert in Chinese art with broad knowledge of art across Asia, he curated exhibitions including “The Eccentric Painters of China” and “Japanese Painters of the Floating World” (co-curated with Robert J. Smith) for the A. D. White Museum and “Far Eastern Art in Upstate New York” and “Imperial Japan: Art of the Meiji Era” (co-curated with Frederick Baekeland) for the Johnson Museum. He also curated exhibitions for outside galleries, including “Masterworks of Chinese Art from Cornell University” at Taipei Gallery, New York; and “Early Chinese Ceramics from New York State Museums” for China Institute in America.

In his dual role as professor and curator at Cornell, Young began building a collection of Asian art from around 150 objects to become one of the strengths of the Johnson, particularly in Chinese and Japanese art.

“What propelled Martie to build the collection of Asian art, and indeed to be a driving force behind the creation of the Johnson Museum, was his dedication to offering students transformational experiences with original works of art,” said Ellen Avril, interim director and the Judith H. Stoikov Curator of Asian Art, Johnson Museum. “The museum has built on his teaching model over the years, today providing direct encounters with art for hundreds of classes each year across Cornell’s colleges and a wide range of disciplines. Martie had a wonderful way of interacting with people and a love for art that was infectious.”

As a professor and Cornell community member, Young made students feel welcome, said Ginger So ’79, recalling how he and his wife, Alice, brought home-cooked food to Chinese Student Association events and shared recipes. 

“Even though I didn’t take his Asian art classes he was a role model and art advocate making art history accessible,” So said. “I took Medieval art and Renaissance art history classes because Martie made me realize that I could study it as part of lifetime learning. He helped build an exemplary museum open to all in the community and made us all feel more connected to Cornell.” 

Martie Young was preceded in death by his wife, Alice Wong Young. He is survived by sons Mark Young and Adam Young ’85, and his grandchildren, Annabel, Brennan and Lucas.

Kate Blackwood is a writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.