Nguyen Dinh Dung

Viet Nam

B. 1943

Nguyen Dinh Dung is a Vietnamese artist known for his vivid silk paintings and dynamic modernist style. Largely self-taught, he studied painting under Ngo Manh Quynh and began his career in 1961 as an illustrator at the Vietnam Cartoon Film Factory. He later became a cartoon film director with Vietnam Television in 1972.

In the early 1980s, Dung shifted toward a more modernist visual language, developing the bold color contrasts and energetic forms that would define his silk and oil works. Although admired today for their theatricality and rich Asian sensibility, his paintings were once considered too avant-garde for official exhibition spaces, prompting his first solo show to be hosted privately at a friend’s villa.

Dung’s art gained wider recognition in the late 1980s, leading to group exhibitions in Paris and Hanoi. Throughout the 2000s, his works continued to appear internationally, including shows in Singapore, Rome, and London. His theatre and street scenes remain among his most celebrated subjects, capturing everyday life with a striking blend of modern expression and traditional influence.