Introduction

“Contemporary Painters from Hanoi”

Diversity, originality and exuberance are among the terms that best describe the art of Vietnam of the last fifteen years. The government of the United States lifted its embargo against that country just as the Vietnamese government eased restrictions against foreign tourism and gallery ownership. No party official could have predicted the consequences of such moves for the painters who live in Hanoi.

At first a part of the tourist industry, the trade in Vietnamese art is transforming itself into a serious, independent market. In San Francisco, London, Paris, Hong Kong and Singapore the number of museum exhibitions and gallery shows on Vietnam has been growing quickly. In Hanoi, sales are thriving as never before. Promising students from the school of fine arts as well as senior artists from the 80 year-old “Ecole des Beaux Arts d’Indochine” contribute to today’s incredible scene. Attentive observers like professor Nora Taylor are comparing the emergence of the Vietnamese art in the new millennium to the blossoming of the African art market in the 1960s or the birth of the Australian native art market in the 1980s.

Vietnamese artists are, however, savvier than their colleagues. The frequent contacts with overseas buyers who have suddenly exposed to capitalism have encouraged painters to seek better control of the commercialization of their products. Today, many believe that risk-taking individualism and avant-garde originality are more reliable sources of global recognition than sheer commercial success. Foreign collectors remain challenged by a unique combination of positive factors: the rapid expansion of the art community, the extreme creativity of its expressions, its high visibility on the streets of Hanoi, and the rebellion of independent-minded artists against the “system.” Prospective buyers can nevertheless explore the back alleys of Hanoi and locate the alternative spaces where painters exhibit. Vietnam connoisseurs accumulate experience when they discuss with artists and negotiate with private dealers.

Art historians have marginalized Vietnamese art in their writings. True, Vietnam cannot be labeled as primitive; it belongs neither to the prestigious civilizations of India or China. The supposedly pristine and innocent Vietnamese paintings have therefore escaped textbook categories. The absence of academic literature on the topic has not prevented Sotheby’s and Christie’s to hold auctions of contemporary art from Southeast Asia. To their surprise and delight, the international art clientele quickly bought the masterpieces available. Soon, we will find more appealing paintings from Vietnam in the catalogs of auction houses and art galleries. Precise information on authentication and provenance will determine bidding prices to an extent larger than today.

In about five years the Vietnamese market should enter a more mature period. Experts could then be conversant in the art production of Vietnam, but auction prices may shock many artists in Hanoi and several collectors in Europe and North America.

Philippe Forêt, PhD
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich

For Christophe Barwinek

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