Hom Nguyen

Hom Nguyen  is a French contemporary artist of Vietnamese descent, born in Paris in 1972. Entirely self-taught, he has developed a distinctive approach to portraiture, working across pencil, charcoal, pastel, ink and acrylic. Often created on a large scale, his works are defined by a free, instinctive gesture and a striking expressive intensity.

At the heart of his practice are questions of identity, exile, memory and cultural heritage. These themes are deeply rooted in his personal history, particularly in the story of his mother, a Vietnamese immigrant who arrived in France in the 1970s. Her experience and the memory of his family history run throughout his work, opening onto a broader reflection on origins, belonging and the construction of identity.

Hom Nguyen’s portraits reveal faces that are at once powerful and vulnerable. Their features often appear fragmented, erased or deliberately unfinished, creating a subtle tension between presence and disappearance, strength and fragility. Through dynamic lines, layered gestures and expressive use of material, the artist seeks not simply to reproduce a face, but to reveal its inner intensity.

Through this deeply human approach to portraiture, Hom Nguyen has established himself as a recognised figure in French contemporary art. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and institutions, including in Paris, London, Hong Kong and Singapore, attracting an increasingly international audience of collectors.