The Artist

1944 Haiphong Vietnam

Chuc is known for his portraits, especially his portrait of the master lacquer artist Nguyen Gia Tri as he was one of the last students sitting next to the painter as he was dying. Therefore, the portrait of painter Nguyen Gia Tri and the portrait My father – Poet Le Dai Thanh along with other notable personages has established Le Dai Chuc as an extraordinary portraitist.

Chuc was born into the highly artistic and accomplished family of the famous poet Le Dai Thanh of Haiphong. 32 members of this extended family are in the fields of theater, dance, music, cinema, and literature. His passion for painting began at an early age and he was taught by some of the most famous Vietnamese master painters like Bui Xuan Phai, Nguyen Sang, Duong Bich Lien and Nguyen Tu Nghiem.

The Woman with the Blue eyes 2002

This portrait was made of Suzanne shortly before she opened her very first public gallery space in Hanoi in 2002. The Vietnamese have a saying that translates into how the love for something falls naturally into your eyes, into your spirit. I think Chuc was expressing how my love for the art and culture of Vietnam fell into my eyes, entered my spirit naturally.
My destiny.