Roaring 90's: The Rise of Contemporary Vietnamese Art

Modernism Applied

Buu Chi's paintings are filled with objects, portraits and still lifes that represent things that have been undervalued and forgotten.  As an antiwar demonstrator, he was jailed for 4 years and hence expresses loss, a loss of time, space and peace of mind.  Yet in spite of his inner turmoil, his works retain an essence of dignity and hope.  In format as well as spirit, his works reminds us of master modernist Paul Klee.

 

Buu Chi

Human Still Life, 1996

oil on paper, 22" x 30"

Amit May Collection

 

 

 

Quan's provocative compositions appropriate common Vietnamese household objects and wraps them in mysterious organic forms, complete with sensuous colors.  Incomplete bodies are often present, bringing man's conscientiousness into the works.  The linkage of these objects and bodies conveys an intriguing, half remembered dream-like quality, akin to surrealism.

---

 

Nguyen Quan

Blue Vase with Plum Blossoms, 1992

oil on canvas, 22" x 16.5"

Amit May Collection

 

Nguyen Quan

Still Life with Alabaster, 1992

oil on canvas, 20" x 23.5"

Amit May Collection

Strongly reminiscent of German expressionism, Bui Suoi Hoa is one of a handful of Vietnamese women artists to receive international recognition.  Her works show a mastery of expressionism, but with a wilting, weeping aestheticism that seems unique to Vietnam. 

Bui Suoi Hoa

Highland Evening, 1991

oil on canvas, 24" x 28.5"

Amit May Collection

Tran Luu Hau is a well known Vietnamese painter who perfected the broad, confident brush strokes of expressionism.  His subjects are often still lifes, people and landscapes that are often on the verge of exploding into a cacophony of color, mayhem and emotions.  "Art is something marvelous and mystic.  Often you would get hold of it, but eventually you don't."

Tran Luu Hau

First Blush, 1993

gouache on paper, 26" x 19.5"

Amit May Collection

Exhibit Continues

Enter Part IV