Two London galleries are displaying dozens of pieces of artwork by painters Bui Xuan Phai and Nguyen Tu Nghiem as part of the 2018 edition of Asian Art In London from November 5 to 9.
The displayed pieces are accompanied by a series of talks discussing the two painters' lives and Vietnamese art history in general. At the opening, Vietnamese ambassador to the UK Tran Ngoc An expressed his joy that people were interested in Vietnam's culture amidst the strengthening economic and political ties between the two nations.
Nguyen Tu Nghiem, Đêm Giao Thừa Bên Hồ Gươm (1957), lacquer. Image via APE.
Bui Xuan Phai (1920-1988) is famous for his many colorful oil paintings focused on Hanoi's old, winding streets and surroundings. Nguyen Tu Nghiem (1918-2016) was a master of Vietnamese lacquer paintings that applied European post-impressionist techniques to unmistakably Vietnamese scenes. The displayed works come from the private collection of Swiss art collector Paul Hugentobler who acquired them in Hanoi in the early 1990s. This is the first time they have been publically seen in Europe.
Asia Week at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour features work from more than 40 famous and up-and-coming artists from Japan, China, South Korea and elsewhere. A series of planned events are running concurrently to give context to the art during its run which ends November 9.
[Top image: Bui Xuan Phai, Phố Cổ (1987), gouache on paper /hagiang.edu.vn]
