Items May Be Removed From Vietnam Art Show

To avoid offending Vietnamese emigres in Orange County, the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art may withdraw some paintings from its upcoming exhibit of Vietnamese contemporary and ancient art.

Community leaders from Little Saigon have also been invited to a special preview showing today that museum officials hope will allay concerns that the artwork is an endorsement of the Communist government in Vietnam.

“The art is apolitical. I would like to think Vietnamese people, despite their political backgrounds, will be able to enjoy it,” said Janet Baker, curator of the exhibit.

The museum still expects to draw some anti-Communist protesters, the same demonstrators who overwhelmed Little Saigon early this year after a local shopkeeper displayed the Communist Vietnamese flag.

The exhibit, titled “A Winding River: The Journey of Contemporary Art in Vietnam,” has toured the nation and is the first cultural exchange project since the United States and Vietnam reestablished diplomatic relations in 1995.

The artwork includes more than six dozen paintings and drawings by Vietnamese artists, some displaying cultural influences of France, the former Soviet Union and the United States. It was organized by the Meridian International Center, a nonprofit group in Washington that promotes international cultural understanding.

A few of the paintings may be shelved because they depict North Vietnamese soldiers, said Gemma Cunningham, spokeswoman for the exhibit.

Those may offend some Vietnamese emigres, said Mission Viejo businessman Quang X. Pham.

“We just wanted to make sure it’s not Communist propaganda,” said Pham, who is leading an effort to build a Vietnamese cultural center in Orange County. “Pulling three pieces out of a collection of more than 200 isn’t going to compromise the collection.”