He studied law in Shanghai, and then in 1936 decided to devote himself to art.
In 1949, to escape the exigencies of the Chinese Communist Revolution, he emigrated to the United States with his wife and two youngest daughters, leaving his son and oldest daughter behind.
One of the most important work in this group was the hanging scroll Riverbank by 10th century master Dong Yuan, whose authenticity, however, was controversially challenged by the art historian James Cahill.
Subsequent generations had no one to pass the style onto, and so it died out with the few expatriates practicing abroad, like Wang.
[citation needed] Wang died on July 3, 2003, in New York City.