Duc Tran

Duc Tran was born in Hue in 1964. Though he passed the entrance examination to the Fine Art High School in Hue with first-rate grades in 1982 and earned special admission to the Fine Art College of Hue City, he studied chemistry at the University of Hue City at his parents' request, graduating as a chemical engineer. He remained passionate about art and taught himself to paint, developing his own style.

From 1987 to 1999, Tran worked at a hydroelectric plant, a period he describes as his most creative. The geometric forms of the construction site—cranes, electric wires, and turbines—inspired a shift in his work from impressionism toward cubism. After ten years of development, his style gained recognition among art collectors both within Vietnam and internationally.

Beginning in 1998, Tran exhibited internationally, including a two-person show at H & S Gallery in Brussels, Belgium with Nguyen Xuan Khanh; a three-person show titled "Through My Eyes" at Atrium Gallery in Melbourne, Australia in 2000 with Ton That Bang and Nguyen Xuan Khanh; a group exhibition at Beauty Art in Singapore in 2002; and a group show at Tu Do Art in Houston, Texas in 2004. Most paintings from these exhibitions were sold.

Tran's work geometrizes subjects centered on couples, river memories, and village scenes. His representation is often naive and spontaneous, balancing between stylized figuration and abstraction while exploring color and form.