Le Ba Dang

Born in Vietnam in 1922, Le Ba Dang left his homeland when he was 18 to pursue a career as an artist in France. He entered the Ecole des Beaux Arts de Toulous where he was a top student. The many prizes for paintings, drawing and sculpture he was awarded while still in school were responsible for his first commission.

His subtle fusion of European and Far Eastern ideas soon brought him to the attention of the art world in Paris, and following a most successful one-man show on the Left Bank in 1950, he was deluged with commissions.

In 1966 he first was represented in the United States when the Cincinnati Museum presented an exhibition of his paintings. Today his works are in private and public collections around the world. Included are the Rockefeller Collection, Loo Collection in Tokyo, Lund University Museum, Sweden; Foundation Museum, Kenya; and Museum of Arts and Letters, France.

Le Ba Dang looks at everyday subjects around him and translates them into dream-like expressions of his thoughts. Though his compositions are free from all restraint, the artist has the rare ability to attain a perfect balance in his works by depicting only that which is necessary to convey his feelings.

His editions of original etchings and lithographs as well as his paintings, have been received with enthusiastic comment. UNESCO Director of the Far Eastern Department called upon the artist to create a series of etchings for a book of poetry. The book was published by Editions Euros.