Footnotes

阮忠 抽象 油彩畫布 一九九三年作

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT EUROPEAN PRIVATE COLLECTION

Provenance:
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner


Nguyen Trung is the leading contemporary practitioner for abstract art in Vietnam. Solely based on the synergy of cultures and energies he had experienced in France, Cambodia, and his home in Vietnam, his abstract paintings combine western modernist notions from France whilst staying true to the philosophical frameworks of the Orient.

In Untitled, his monochromatic white-on-white composition echoes the minimalism and conceptual art movements, yet emanates spirituality that is intrinsic to his culture of Vietnam. Nguyen Trung situates himself in the context of Vietnam's war history and colonialism, and like Cy Twombly, was able to balance the seemingly static history of the past with his own sensual and emotional responses. His artistic language has evolved and distilled over the years, moving from abstraction to figuration and then back to abstraction, and with each canvas, he offers increasing altitudes of purified beauty. Amidst the milky whites, hints of beiges and fleshy pinks become visible upon close inspection, revealing a palpable sense of movement across the canvas.