SAIGON, OCTOBER 2020

Bui Ngoc Tu, one of the foundational artists in the H&S collection and a dear friend of Marc's, has passed away at the respectable age of 84.

Bui Ngoc Tu graduated from Hanoi Fine Arts School in 1969. He participated in numerous exhibitions in Vietnam, Belgium, Russia, India, Poland and Sweden. This artist is renowned for his paintings describing the traditional life of people in the countrysides. He imbued his subjects with a semblance of naivety that was tender, insightful and poetic. His paintings often explored the Man-Woman relationship and portray their dynamic as both simple and complex. He depicted his female characters as desired beings who are fully aware of their sexuality and objectified status. In contrast, males are reduced to lower forms on par with children and clowns, yet not unredeemable as they gradually evolve into a more properly libidinous, thoughtful entity. Through paint and a personal symbolism, Bui Ngoc Tu aimed to create a universal language by which to evoke the inexpressible anxiety of Man confronted by Woman.