Biography

Le Thanh Son - a renowned artist who has established his name and position in Vietnam’s contemporary art. Le Thanh Son was born in 1962 in Hanoi, Vietnam. At the age of four, Son became a student of the Young Pioneer’s Club to pursue his passion for painting. He graduated from Hanoi’s College of Drama and Cinematography in 1986, and is currently a full-time artist and a member of the Vietnam Fine Art Association.

Son’s chosen medium of expression is oil on canvas. He uses large brush strokes and applies thick paint directly to the canvas in a bold, liberal and daring yet emotional style. It's said that Son pioneered the creation of an impressionist trend in modern Vietnam with a unique and typical Vietnamese character. He therefore has a great influence on the younger generation of Vietnamese artists.

Le Thanh Son particularly cherishes natural scenery. He sees the charm and lyricism in every scene, whether it is a picture of a village, a corner of a duckweed pond, a plain pagoda gate, a flowers’ field or an old street Hanoi in the shade of verdant trees beaming with sunlight. He is especially inspired by Mother Nature’s marvellous change of colours through four seasons.

The uniqueness of Son’s art is that as an impressionist, he does not follow pure visual sight or reality. With his imagination and expert use of colours, Son turns plain scenes of everyday life into extraordinary pictures of splendid and charming beauty. The viewer is treated with a visual feast that brings about an unanticipated source of delight. Son’s art is like nature’s four seasons’ romantic melodies. And these melodies of colours naturally and gently flow into the viewer’s heart and soul.

​For Son, painting is a way to play with colours, to express his personal emotions and satisfy the thirst for creativity. He is famous for interplaying light and shadow in his works. Le Thanh Son is a familiar name amongst international art lovers. Famous collectors of his paintings include President Bill Clinton, Mr. Bill Gates and the Duke of York.

​Throughout decades of dedicating his life to painting, Son has established great personal achievements, with several fine arts awards and solo exhibitions in Vietnam and internationally. Son’s paintings are displayed in several museums and private collections across the world and enjoy attention and respect in the artistic circles.

Exhibitions​

2015 – 2023: Various art fairs in the UK (Bristol, Edinburgh, Chester, Cambridge, Tunbridge Wells...) and Bi-annual show in London with Hanoi Art House

2017: Group show at AAF in New York City, by Hanoi Art House

2016: Group exhibition "Colours Of Life" in Buckinghamshire by Hanoi Art House

Group show at the Art and Culture Event "Vietnam Festival" in London by Hanoi Art House.

An event to celebrate Vietnam, organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK.

​2015: Group exhibition "Treasures of Vietnam" in London, by Hanoi Art House

Group exhibition "Gems of Vietnam" in London Southwalk, by Hanoi Art House

2012: Exhibition Art Palm Beach, Florida, USA​

2011: Exhibition Art Asia, Miami, Florida, USA

2010: “Dao Hai Phong - Do Hoang Tuong - Le Thanh Son”, London, UK

2008: “Brilliant Life” solo exhibition, Shinsei Bank, Tokyo, Japan

2005: Solo exhibition in London, UK

2004: Solo exhibition in Hong Kong

2003: Group exhibition "New Season" in Bradford, UK

Solo exhibition "Hanoi Flowers" in Hong Kong

2002: Group Exhibition "The Quality of Natural Power" group exhibition, Latin American Arts Museum, Miami, Florida, USA.

Group Exhibition “Where the Rivers Meets", Vietnam Cultural Festival in Luxembourg and continued at Libre de Bruxelles University, Brussels

2001: Solo Exhibition “Nature’s True Son I – Season of Le Thanh Son” , Hong Kong

Group Exhibition “Separate Paths” in Thang Long Gallery, Hanoi, Vietnam

2000: Group Exhibition in HCM City, Vietnam

Group Exhibition “The Images from Vietnam” in Melbourne, Australia

Solo Exhibition “The World of Le Thanh Son” in Hanoi, Vietnam

​1999: Group Exhibition “The Art from Vietnam” in Seoul, Korea

1998: Solo Exhibition in HCM City, Vietnam

Solo Exhibition “Nature’s True Son I – Season of Le Thanh Son” in Hong Kong

Group Exhibition in London

1997: Solo Exhibition in Hong Kong

1996: Solo Exhibition in Hong Kong.

1995: Soso Exhibition in Singapore

1994: Solo Exhibition at Canadian Embassy

1992: Exhibition at Hanoi Fine Art Exhibition

1991: Collected by Eastern Museum

1990: Awarded first prize at the Competition for Hanoi Young Artists by Hanoi Fine Art Association