Madison Reporter

The Chazen Museum of Art has added seven Vietnamese artworks on paper to its collection, expanding its contemporary Southeast Asian art holdings. The museum's Van Vleck Curator of Works on Paper, James Wehn, and Chief Curator Katherine Alcauskas worked with donors Judith and John Day to secure the gifts. Judith Day, who runs Judith Hughes Day Vietnamese Contemporary Fine Art, has been involved with Vietnamese artists since 1992.

"We have few Southeast Asian works on paper, and very little contemporary art from Vietnam," Wehn said. He noted that the Days wanted their donation to resonate with the university's Vietnamese American and Vietnamese-born community and visitors interested in Vietnam’s culture.

The newly acquired pieces can be viewed online or by appointment at the museum's Chen Family Study Room for Works on Paper. The collection includes works by artists such as Dinh Thi Tham Poong and Trinh Quoc Chien.

Dinh Thi Tham Poong's "Sky Weave" (2007) combines watercolor, gold paint, and fabric collage on handmade dó paper to explore identity in modern Vietnam. Trinh Quoc Chien is known for his lacquer art techniques applied in works like "Buffalo Boy’s Melody" (2010) and "Peace in the Soul" (2018), which draw on Buddhist iconography.

Other artists featured include Trinh Ngoc Le with her woodcut "Dream (Cats Red)" (2018), Le Quoc Viet’s calligraphy work "Portraits and Calligraphy" (2004), Phan Cam Thuong’s "Buddha’s Garden II" (2009), and Nguyen Bach Dan's ink painting "Lotuses" (2010). These artworks collectively reflect various aspects of Vietnamese culture and artistic traditions.

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