Tran Luu Hau

Tran Luu Hau is one of the leading masters of the contemporary Vietnamese art scene. His work reflects a myriad of styles and traditions that connect to the upheavals of his experienced life and long career. Tran is among the 22 painters trained in the Khang Chien (Resistance) style, developed in 1949 by the painter To Ngoc Van and taught at the Vietnam Fine Arts School. Unusually for a Vietnamese artist, at that time, Tran traveled widely throughout his career and studied art and theatre design at Surikov Fine Art Institute in Moscow for 7 years. His European travels in 1990 allowed him to become acquainted with European and American art. Upon his return, he taught at the Hanoi University of Fine Arts. Drawing inspiration from various Post-Impressionists and Expressionist artists including Matisse, Soutine, De Kooning, Kline, and Pollock, Tran later continued experimenting with form and color as distilled through reality. His preferred subjects were still-lifes bursting with the “essence” of flowers, elegant female nudes, and landscapes from his home country. Tran’s work prioritizes emotional unity over any faithfulness to external reality. His works have received much acclaim, and are widely exhibited and collected internationally.