Vietnamese painter/writer Mai Vo-Dinh, 75 (in 2009)
Lenona
in Brunswick, Maryland.
According to this -
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2009-06-02/news/0906020006_1_memorial-caitlin-funeral-services/9
- he died on May 31, 2009.
From "Contemporary Authors":
"Naturally, the war in Vietnam affected me, an artist, profoundly as
it did, in other ways, all Vietnamese. An entire generation grew up,
lived, and died with it. Yet, my work cannot, except for occasional
flarings of outrage and sorrow, be called violent or pessimistic If
anything, the war between Vietnamese and between Vietnamese and
Americans has reinforced my faith in the miracle of life. It is a
faith beyond hope or despair.
"Surprisingly enough, the contemporary paintings that I, born and bred
in Vietnam, am most fond of are by two Britishers, Francis Bacon and
Graham Sutherland. I also like Georgia O'Keefe, a great American lady,
very much. I greatly admire Isaac Bashevis Singer.
"My opinion of modern art? I hope it counts! Modern art is but a
reflection of modern life. Do you know the story from that Buddhist
scripture?; `A man gallops by on his horse. Someone shouts at him:
"Where are you going?" The man hollers back: "Don't know! Ask the
horse!"'"
http://calendar.frederick.edu/EventList.aspx?fromdate=3/1/2011&todate=3/31/2011&display=Month&type=public&eventidn=3816&view=EventDetails&information_id=10453
(about a memorial exhibit in Maryland)
Excerpts:
..........“Vo-Dinh believed in painting as an exercise in
mindfulness,” said Ramsburg. “He was more concerned with the doing
than the outcome. He signed one of his books to me with this note:
‘Eddie, painting is more important than making a picture.’
“His finished paintings hook the viewer with black and white fields
from a distance, and up close, the viewer is drawn in with all the
colors melding together. Vo-Dinh told his students ‘When you walk,
look down. See the little color messes in the grass, leaves and dirt.
See form in everything, nature’s colors running into each other.’”
Mai’s paintings and woodblocks have been exhibited throughout Asia,
Europe, Canada, and the United States in more than 50 one-man
exhibitions. An author, translator and illustrator, he wrote or
contributed to more than 40 books. He shared the prestigious
Christopher Award with Helen Coutant for the book First Snow, and he
was a recipient of the Literature Program Fellowship from the National
Endowment for the Arts.
Some of the children’s books Mai illustrated include: The Coconut
Monk; The Hermit and the Well; Angel Child, Dragon Child; The Brocaded
Slipper and Other Vietnamese Tales; The Land I Lost: Adventures of a
Boy in Vietnam; and A Thousand Pails of Water. He wrote and
illustrated The Toad is the Emperor’s Uncle, a collection of animal
folktales from Vietnam...............
(end)
http://phoeniximagerypress.com/page1/files/tag-frederick-first-saturday002c-vo-dinh-mai002c-artist-gallery002c-delaplaine002c-frederick-arts-council002c-en-plein-air-exhibit002c-bobby-flurie002c-alternative-universe002c.html
(prior exhibit, with one abstract painting)
http://www.thewriterspost.net/author_vodinh.htm
(short entry about his work, with photo)
http://www.grinderfineart.com/vodinh.html
(shows one painting)
Text:
"Vo-Dinh was born in Vietnam and studied at the Quoc Hoc of Hue in
Vietnam and in Paris during the 1950s at the Academie de la Grande
Chaumiere, the Sorbonne, and the University of Paris. He moved to the
United States in the 1960s. Vo-Dinh's work has been exhibited
worldwide and is in the collections of the Musee d'Art Moderne
Delaville de Paris, the Musee Rouen, the Schiedam Museum in Holland,
and the Nashville Museum. In addition to being an award-winning
artist, Vo-Dinh has illustrated, written, and translated more than 40
books, including children's books, poetry, and fiction, including The
Land I Lost: The Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam; Angel Child, Dragon
Child; and The Jade Song, among many others."
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=active&q=mai%20vo-dinh&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=vi&biw=1440&bih=710
(a few book covers)
WRITINGS BY THE AUTHOR:
SELF-ILLUSTRATED
* Wind Play: The Kite, UNICEF (New York City), 1964.
* The Crimson Silk Portfolio, VDM Editions (PA), 1968.
* The Jade Song, Chelsea House (New York City), 1970.
* The Toad Is the Emperor's Uncle, Doubleday (New York City),
1970.
* (With others) Aspects of Vietnamese Culture, Southern Illinois
University (Carbondale, IL), 1972.
* Vo Dinh, Suzuki and Feiden Galleries (New York City), 1972.
* The Woodcuts of Vo Dinh, Hoa Binh Press (New York City), 1974.
* Xu Sam Set, La Boi Press (Paris, France), 1980, Van Nghe House
(CA), 1987.
* Yoga Can Ban (title means "Basic Yoga"), Van Nghe House, 1989.
* Doa Sen va Nu Cuoi (title means "The Lotus and The Smile"), Van
Nghe House, 1990.
* Sao Co Tieng Song (essays), Van Nghe House, 1991.
* Lam Xep (stories), Van Nghe House, 1996.
TRANSLATOR AND ILLUSTRATOR
* Doan-Quoc-Sy, The Stranded Fish, Sang-Tao Press (Saigon), 1971,
Lang Van (Toronto, Canada), 1988.
* Nhat Hanh, The Path of Return Continues the Journey, Hoa Binh
Press, 1972.
* Hanh, Zen Poems of Nhat Hanh, Unicorn Press (Chapel Hill, NC),
1976.
* Fragrance of Zen, Buddhist Cultural Center (Los Angeles, CA),
1981.
* Tuyet Dau Mua, LaBoi Press, 1981.
* (Translator with Helen Coutant) A Flower for You, Nam-Tuyen
Temple (VA), 1983.
* (Translator with others) Landscape and Exile, Rowan Tree
(Boston, MA), 1985.
* The Moon Bamboo, Parallax Press (Berkeley, CA), 1989.
* The Pine Gate, White Pine Press (New York City), 1989.
* (Translator with others) War and Exile Vietnamese PEN (U.S.A.),
1989.
* Literature of South Vietnam, 1954-1975, Vietnamese Language &
Cultural Publications (Melbourne, Australia), 1992.
* The Stone Boy, Parallax Press, 1995.
ILLUSTRATOR
* Birds, Frogs, and Moonlight, translation by Sylvia Dassedy and
Kunihiro Suetake, Doubleday, 1967.
* Hanh, The Cry of Vietnam, Unicorn Press (Santa Barbara, CA),
1968.
* All Year Long (calligraphy), Unicorn Press, 1969.
* James Kirkup, The Magic Drum, Knopf (New York City), 1973.
* H. Coutant, First Snow, Knopf, 1974.
* Daniel Berrigan and Hanh, The Raft Is Not the Shore, Beacon
Press (Boston, MA), 1976.
* Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness, Beacon Press, 1976.
* Ron Roy, One Thousand Pails of Water, Knopf, 1978.
* The Way of Everyday Life (calligraphy), Shobogenzo Genjokoan Zen
Center of Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA), 1978.
* The Brocaded Slipper, Addison-Wesley (Reading, MA), 1982.
* The Land I Lost, Harper & Row (New York City), 1982.
* The Happy Funeral, Harper & Row, 1982.
* A Flash of Lightning, International Zen Institute of America
(Los Angeles, CA), 1983.
* Angel Child, Dragon Child, Carnival Press (Minneapolis, MN),
1983.
* The Gift, Knopf, 1983.
* The Miracle of Mindfulness, Beacon Press, 1988.
* A Mother's Lullaby, Tu sach Canh Nam (VA), 1989.
* TET, The New Year, Children's Museum (Boston, MA), 1991.
* Sky Legends of Vietnam, HarperCollins (New York City), 1993.
Lenona.
cpawl...@gmail.com
Was there an estate or trust established for the management of royalties from his work? I want to post some of his work on our website and would like to find out to whom I should direct a request for authorization for such posting? Is there family? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Curt
idleha...@gmail.com
> Leona,
>
> Was there an estate or trust established for the management of royalties from his work? I want to post some of his work on our website and would like to find out to whom I should direct a request for authorization for such posting? Is there family? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Curt
Jennifer Shoemaker