» Portrait

Painted in 1993 and signed two years later, Portrait captures a young Quynh Nguyen – then a third-year university student and later the Founder of Nguyễn Art Foundation – at an important moment between youth and self-realization. Dressed in a white áo dài, her posture is composed yet unpretentious; gentle, but not demure. Her head tilts slightly to one side, her gaze calm and assured, and her features delicately rendered with the strength of someone already aware of her own direction in life. The short hair of the sitter, at once modern and confident, subtly breaks from traditional representations of Vietnamese femininity, signaling a new spirit of independence and self-possession. 
 
Beyond its tender portrayal, Portrait holds special significance: it is the first artwork acquired by Quynh Nguyen, marking the very beginning of what would later become Nguyễn Art Foundation. In this sense, the painting not only immortalizes a moment of youthful poise and conviction, but also foretells the birth of a vision – one that continues to shape and nurture Vietnam’s contemporary art landscape today.