Dang Xuan Hoa (Vietnamese, born 1959) Artist's Family

Dang Xuan Hoa (Vietnamese, born 1959)
Artist's Family
2003

signed and dated HOA 2/2003 (lower left)
oil on canvas

68 x 68 cm (26 3/4 x 26 3/4 in)

The work is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity issued by Apricot Gallery, HCMC, Vietnam, dated December 24, 2013.
Provenance
Apricot Gallery, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2013
Private collection, Europe

鄧春和
畫家的家庭
油彩 畫布
2003年作

簽名：HOA 2/2003 (左下)

此作附越南胡志明市Apricot畫廊於2013年12月24日開立之作品保證書

來源
越南胡志明市Apricot畫廊
現藏家於2013年得自上述來源
歐洲私人收藏

Dang Xuan Hoa has had a significant impact on the global art scene, and is one of the most celebrated contemporary artists from Vietnam. Born in 1959, he graduated from the Hanoi College of Fine Arts in 1983 and joined the Vietnamese Fine Art Association. In the early 1990s, he became part of the "Gang of Five", a group of artists who pioneered a new direction for Vietnamese art just as the country was opening up economically and politically to the world under the Doi Moi policy.

The "Gang of Five" consisted of Dang Xuan Hoa, Hong Viet Dung, Ha Tri Hieu, Tran Luong and Pham Quang Vinh, who were friends and classmates at the Hanoi College of Fine Arts. They broke away from the dominant social realist style that prevailed in Vietnamese art until the mid-1980s, and instead experimented with different forms of expression, such as Abstraction, Symbolism, and Post-Impressionism. They also focused on depicting their personal emotions, experiences, and perspectives, rather than engaging with themes imposed by the official ideology. Their artworks were bold, innovative, and diverse, reflecting the changes and challenges of the Vietnamese society in the post-war era.

Dang Xuan Hoa's paintings are known for the simplicity, the harmony, and the emotions that emanate from them. Inspired by folk art, Post-Impressionism, and his own life, he often paints his family, his friends, his pets, and his daily activities, thus creating a sense of intimacy and warmth in his works. He also enhances his portraits and still lifes by including various elements, such as ceramic vases, flowers, oil lamps, fruit bowls, and cats. These objects are not only decorative, but are also symbolic: they represent his worldview, his culture, his identity, and his memories. Moreover, through his paintings he explores themes such as love, human relationships, and self-understanding.

His paintings are characterized by fine contours that remind of collages or woodcuts, as well as rich and vibrant colours that are reminiscent of post-impressionist painters. His mastery of colour and composition enables him to generate a modern and poetic sensibility in his imagery. He does not aim to reproduce reality, but rather to uncover, through his feelings and thoughts, the hidden aspects beneath it. His paintings thus reflect both his love for life and a quest for meaning.

Dang Xuan Hoa is widely regarded as one of the leading contemporary artists from Vietnam. His works have been exhibited in many countries, including Japan, France, and the United States. Throughout his career he has received multiple awards and honours, such as the Philip Morris ASEAN Art Award in 1996 and the Medal for the Development of Vietnamese Fine Arts in 2004. Unique, innovative, and equipped with a poetic and humanistic vision of both art and life, he has become a source of inspiration for many emerging artists, whether in Vietnam or abroad.