Portrait of a master painting copyist in Ho Chi Minh City

A seasoned painter in Ho Chi Minh City has been widely known among his circle of colleagues and art buyers, including foreigners, for his exceptional painting duplicating skills.

Tran Anh Tru, 55, has made his name among the southern city’s painting duplicators and art enthusiasts for his brilliant ability to reproduce a large number of copies of each original masterpiece.

Some clients even find his duplication more sparkling than the original.

Tru was born in HCMC to a poor family of eight siblings.

He quit school in his 10th grade to peddle ice cream for a living.

During his free time, he would cycle around painting shops, admiring the sophisticated paintings and nurturing his dream of becoming an artist one day.

Appreciating his passion for art and innate gifts, a few artists offered him free training.

In 1978, the 19-year-old man served his apprenticeship at a painting shop owned by a local artist on Mac Dinh Chi street in District 1.

Four years later, Tru opened his own shop.

“Back in the 1990s, many clients had me portray themselves or their relatives which are depicted in yellowing, small-size photos taken some dozens of years ago. The portraiture honed my skills and allowed me to bask in my art passion,” he shared.
  
Tru revealed in 1995, several asked him to duplicate noted paintings created by the world’s most revered artists of all times including Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrant Harmenszoon van Rijn, Pablo Picasso, Oscar-Claude Monet, and Vincent Van Gogh.

He also duplicates masterpieces authored by Vietnamese salient artists such as Nguyen Gia Tri, To Ngoc Van and Bui Xuan Phai.

“It’s a technically challenging, time-consuming job to accentuate the air of the depicted and the master artists’  eminence,” Tru noted.

Among local celebrities, portraits of Bui Giang- a prominent poet- and Trinh Cong Son- a distinguished composer whose haunting songs have been translated into several languages- are the most sought after, Tru added.

The 1990s also saw the boom of duplicated paintings in Vietnam’s major cities.  

Tru said there was times when he would receive up to 100 orders from local and foreign customers a day.

Until now, many of his clientele are foreigners and expat Vietnamese, who mostly make orders with him through friends and relatives in Vietnam.

“Contrary to popular belief that painting duplicators lack creativity or make copyright violations, they also try hard to hone their skills to perfection in order to accentuate the originals’ air. Duplicators like me also help promote the masterpieces to art enthusiasts, as no artist ‘mass produces’ their works,” Tru stressed.

It takes him between four days to a week to finish a duplicated painting. More technically demanding works take him up to one month to complete.

The artist, who has produced innumerable copies over the years, also passes on his skills and passion to scores of students, mostly for free.

Many of his students now open their own shops in such streets as Dong Khoi, Mac Thi Buoi, Ngo Duc Ke and Nam Ky Khoi Nghia in HCMC’s District 1 and 3, and compete successfully in the city’s bustling market of duplicated paintings.