Painting by Vietnamese fetches $100,000 at Sotheby's auction

By Ngoc Nguyen, Huong Giang   December 11, 2018 | 07:08 pm PT
Painting by Vietnamese fetches $100,000 at Sotheby's auction
Scarlet Mist painting by Thuy Nguyen.
An oil on canvas painting by a HCMC artist fetched $100,000 at an auction to raise funds to combat HIV in Africa.

Scarlet Mist by Thuy Nguyen features a foggy red sky inspired by global warming.

She said it represents the natural environment that has been degraded. 

Thuy, 37, is better known as a fashion designer but pursues painting as a major parttime. She graduated from Hanoi University of Fine Arts in 2006 and earned a Ph.D in fine arts in Ukraine. She is the founder of The Factory Contemporary Arts Center, a popular venue for artists in HCMC’s District 2.

"I always hope my art works can do something good for the society," Thuy said.

She said the "Scarlet Mist" shows dark red clouds over the canvas, which is beautiful but obsessive. She said she used no special techniques or color mixes, and believed that the strong red color is striking and provoking enough.

Hers was the only work from Vietnam at this year’s (RED) Auction, which seeks to raise money to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in the sub-saharan Africa.

It was the third (RED) auction conducted by Sotheby's with architect David Adjaye, contemporary artist Theaster Gates and rock legend Bono, following the third in 2008 and the second in 2013.

To date, (RED) has generated more than $500 million for the Global Fund to support lifesaving HIV/AIDS programs in Africa.

 
 
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