Bagyi Aung Soe

(1924-1990)

Male Dancer

Footnotes

Provenance
The Peacock Gallery, Myanmar
Private collection, USA

Bagyi Aung Soe
男舞者
1984年作

藝術家簽名（右下）
亞克力 氈筆 畫布

來源
緬甸Peacock畫廊
美國私人收藏

We are delighted to present a discerningly curated single owner collection featuring 12 unique works by artists who participated in Myanmar's modernist vanguard movements in the 1960s and 70s: Bagyi Aung Soe (1924-1990), Win Pe (b. 1935), Kin Maung Yin (1938-2014), and Paw Thame (1948-2014).

In 1976, Paw Thame founded the Peacock Gallery, the first modern art gallery to open in Myanmar which had made a great impact on the art scene in Yangon then. His artist friends Bagyi Aung Soe, Win Pe, and Kin Maung Yin joined the Peacock Gallery soon after its establishment in support of him. They often gathered at the Gallery not only to exhibit and sell their works, but also to exchange views and ideas about modern art and politics.

Bagyi Aung Soe, one of Myanmar's significant figures of modern art in the 20th century, espoused a syncretic visual language characterised by his innovative and eclectic approaches. As one of the most individualistic and underappreciated Burmese modern artists of his era, the universalist Aung Soe carried inspirations from India through his studies at Santiniketan, the ashram-turned-university whose holistic art pedagogy embodied Rabindranath Tagore's vision of an autonomous modernity: "True modernism is freedom of mind, not slavery of taste. It is independence of thought and action, not tutelage under European schoolmasters."¹

Aung Soe started adding the word bagyi—meaning painting and art in his mother tongue—as a prefix to his signature from 1955, so as to demonstrate his deep commitment and dedication to his role as a Burmese artist. Bagyi Aung Soe began exhibiting his paintings at the Peacock Gallery in the early 1980s. Male Dancer, made in 1984 and acquired directly from the Peacock Gallery, best represents the artist's signature artistic expression translating his spiritual and mystical aspirations into a semi-abstract work.

Considered Myanmar's most celebrated living artist, Win Pe played a prominent role in Myanmar's modern art movement in the 1960s. In his words, "modernism is a concept of thinking, conviction, and ideas." A highly versatile artist, Win Pe is not only a painter but also a cartoonist, journalist, radio broadcaster, writer, and film director. He emigrated to the United States in 1994 and became friends with the collector. In the 2000s, Win Pe created a series of aesthetically pleasing watercolours using energetic brushwork and vivid colours; eight paintings from this series are included in this single owner collection. These watercolour works truly exemplify Win Pe's dynamic style by incorporating Western techniques into artistic compositions imbued with the cultural characteristics of Myanmar.

Kin Maung Yin, a self-taught artist and an illustrious architect, was known for his bohemian lifestyle. He actively participated in modernist movement together with Win Pe and Paw Oo Thet (1936-1993). They often painted together and held exhibitions at foreign embassies at the time. Kindred spirits Win Pe and Kin Maung Yin were brothers-in-arts; in Win Pe's view, "Kin Maung Yin is at the top of the list of rare artists in Burma." Young Win Pe, created in 2009 by Kin Maung Yin, sheds light on the true friendship and admiration between these two artists.

The "second-wave" modern artists—such as Paw Thame—were strongly influenced by Myanmar's pioneer artists including Kin Maung (1910-1983), Aung Khin (1921-1996), Aung Soe, Paw Oo Thet, and Win Pe. Like Kin Maung Yin, Paw Thame was also a self-taught painter. However, he spent much time in other senior artists' studios learning painting techniques and was particularly close to Win Pe, who was like a father figure to him. They remained good friends and supported each other after they both moved to the United States. Both Kite Chasers and Village were made in 1978 after Paw Thame established the Peacock Gallery. The artist's unbridled and intense palette energises his scenes and subject matters to create highly evocative works that stir the viewers' emotions.

Through their work, Bagyi Aung Soe, Win Pe, Kin Maung Yin, and Paw Thame valued the importance of individual expression and fulfilled their quest for a modern Myanmar art. Their creative spirits and collective efforts put Myanmar's modern art on the map and continue to inspire generations of Myanmar artists to come.

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1. Rabindranath Tagore, Nationalism (San Francisco: The Book Club of California, 1917), 94.