Nguyen Tu Nghiem

(1922-2016)

Year of the Tiger

Footnotes

Provenance
Gallery 27 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hanoi
Acquired directly from the above by present owner in 1995
Private collection, Washington DC, USA

阮思嚴
虎年
1974年作

簽名：Nguyen 74（右上）
水粉紙本

來源
越南河內27 Ly Thuong Kiet畫廊
藏家得自上述畫廊
美國華盛頓私人收藏

Born in Nghe An in north-central Vietnam, Nguyen Tu Nghiem entered the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine (EBAI) in 1941 and specialised in both lacquer and gouache paintings. Hailed as one of the four great masters of Vietnamese modern art, he shares this distinction with fellow artists Bui Xuan Phai, Nguyen Sang, and Duong Bich Lien. These four artists, individually and collectively, had a great impact on the development of new artistic languages in the era of Doi Moi—the 1986 economic renewal campaign in Vietnam.

During Nguyen Tu Nghiem's artistic career, he created a unique style fusing folk art tradition and modernist art trend. He gained wider recognition during the 1980s for his role as the first Vietnamese modern artist to explore the formal qualities of local motifs while remaining true to the aesthetics of modern art. Known for his lively paintings portraying the immortal god Thanh Giong and Vietnamese zodiac signs, Nguyen Tu Nghiem was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize in Literature and Arts in 1996.

Year of the Tiger is an early version of Nguyen Tu Nghiem's works depicting the zodiac sign of tiger, a celestial prototype of prowess and strength. The seemingly folksy elements of this painting, characterised by its vivid colour palette and naïve style, reveal the artist's preoccupation with traditional village art forms. Nguyen Tu Nghiem often likened himself to Pablo Picasso, whose Cubist work also demonstrates a creative application of both primitive and modernist art styles. His innovative artistic approach continues to inspire later generations of Vietnamese artists who strive to create works that integrate the visual elements of Vietnam's folk cultures and traditions.