The Artist

1922–2014 Thanh Hoa Vietnam

Tran Duy left the prestigious L’Ecole des Beaux Arts Hanoi in 1945 to join the army. During his years of service to his country he worked as a painter, writer, and reporter during wartime. Trained not only in the classic realism of the West and the Soviet Union, he was also a highly skilled illustrator with his own style. His early days as a soldier and reporter provided inspiration for sketching not only the daily life and dangers of a soldier’s life but also idyllic nature, scenes of the countryside, pagodas, temples, and the life of the people.

In his later years he traveled extensively throughout France, entranced by the lively street scenes and the classic beauty of the architecture. His later works were mostly sketches for his subsequent meticulously painted silk works that have a delicate mastery of the silk painting medium for which Tran Duy is internationally recognized. His last solo exhibition was in Hanoi in 2004.

Tran Duy has several works in the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi and is a highly respected and acknowledged writer, publishing books on fine art in 1996, 1997, 2008 and 2009.

Pagoda Festival 2003

This beautifully rendered classic silk painting of a village festival is a lovingly painted work that the artist wanted to gift the President of the USA, to show his respect and admiration for the achievements and good relationship (2003) between the two countries, Vietnam and America.

However, since gifts of this nature are not allowed by the USA State Department, Tran Duy gifted this beautiful work to Suzanne, a loving tribute of friendship between the artist and Suzanne.