Vietnamese Painting Exhibition Launches at London Asian Art Week

The exhibition "A Glimpse of Vietnam," on display at Bonhams auction house during London Asian Art Week, marks the first appearance of a Vietnamese gallery at London's prestigious art event.

Thang Long Art Gallery staff introduce works to visitors.

From October 30 to November 8, Thang Long Art Gallery organized the exhibition "A Glimpse of Vietnam" at Bonhams auction house within the framework of the 27th London Asian Art Week, marking the first participation of a Vietnamese gallery at London's prestigious art event.

Asian Art in London (AAL) is an annual event founded in 1998 to promote Asian art at the Arts Centre London, attracting the participation of famous galleries, auction houses and cultural organizations specializing in Asian art from the UK, Europe and the world .

Every year, exhibitions and auctions at AAL attract a large number of international collectors, curators, artists, art professionals and visitors.

This year's AAL includes about 20 Asian art exhibitions by galleries from many countries and more than 20 auctions specializing in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Southeast Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Islamic art.

The event also includes an Asian art conference featuring leading curators from major museums and galleries, along with industry experts and scholars.

Ms. Sophie Kempson, Program Development Director at AAL, said this is the first year that AAL has organized art exhibitions at prestigious auction houses such as Sotheby's, Bonhams and Christie's, creating opportunities to promote Asian art as many auction attendees have the experience of discovering new galleries or artists they have never heard of.

Participating in the event, “A Glimpse of Vietnam” brings a diverse collection of works by 4 artists, depicting the unique styles and individual perspectives of artists from different generations of art such as the traditional lacquer cubism of Phung Pham (1932), the minimalist style with gouache on curtain fabric of Le Thiet Cuong (1962), the intense expression with oil paint of Ly Tran Quynh Giang (1978) and the unique wood burning portrait of Ngo Van Sac (1980).

Ms Kempson said that the exhibition “A Glimpse of Vietnam” has brought a new perspective to London on Vietnamese contemporary art and is an opportunity for international art lovers to learn about artists and works of the generation after the Indochina period. She expressed her impression of the works on display at the exhibition, especially the lacquer paintings and wood-burning paintings.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Long, representative of Thang Long Art Gallery, shared that through “A Glimpse of Vietnam,” Thang Long Art Gallery hopes to promote more about Vietnamese culture and contemporary art to foreign art lovers.

He also said that the exhibitions within the framework of AAL held at prestigious auction houses such as Sotherby's, Christie's and Bonhams are a good opportunity to promote Vietnamese contemporary art when Vietnamese paintings are placed alongside other major art movements.

According to Mr. Long, to participate in AAL, works and authors must pass the strict selection of the Organizing Committee. This reflects the quality of Vietnamese art as well as international interest in the country's art.

The works have received positive feedback from the press, international collectors and museums. Mr. Long stated that participating in prestigious international events such as AAL will help Vietnam integrate more deeply into the world art scene.

Joan Yip, senior specialist and head of Southeast Asian Contemporary Art at Bonhams, commented that Vietnamese art is making a real wave in the UK and Europe, with more and more Vietnamese artworks appearing in museums, art fairs, auctions and galleries.

Ms. Yip appreciates Vietnamese artists for maintaining their own cultural identity in their works, while combining traditional techniques with some modern themes.

According to her, this new way of expression helps Western collectors and art lovers easily understand Vietnamese art. In Ms. Yip's eyes, Vietnamese art is well known for paintings from the Indochina period, but art during the war, the Renovation period and contemporary times still have many interesting things to discover.

According to Ms. Yip, to promote its art, Vietnam needs to participate more in the global art scene through participating in international art fairs and exhibitions, as well as collaborating with international museums and galleries, helping to bring in a larger audience, while boosting the international reputation of Vietnamese art.

“A Glimpse of Vietnam” reflects Vietnam’s active participation in international art events in the UK. In March and October, works by 18 Vietnamese artists attended the Affordable Art Fair in London, impressing British and international art lovers./.

According to VNA

Source: https://baobinhduong.vn/trien-lam-tranh-viet-nam-ra-mat-tuan-le-nghe-thuat-chau-a-london-a334928.html