Chavalit Soemprungsuk, National Artist in Visual Arts (Painting), 2014
(1939–2020)

Chavalit Soemprungsuk was born on July 30, 1939, in Khon Kaen, Thailand. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Faculty of Painting, Sculpture, and Graphic Arts at Silpakorn University in 1962. As one of the last students of Professor Silpa Bhirasri, the father of modern Thai art, he also studied under several prominent Thai masters, including Paitun Muangsomboon, Fua Haripitak, Sanan Silakorn, Khien Yimsiri, and Tawee Nandakwang. He later received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture of the Netherlands and became the first Thai artist to study at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. Dissatisfied with the academic methods, he left the institution to pursue an independent artistic practice. He was later granted full-time artistic sponsorship by the Dutch government—an extraordinary honor that allowed him to fully dedicate himself to art.

Chavalit Soemprungsuk’s artistic style evolved over time, beginning with realism and gradually shifting toward abstraction. His works emphasized geometric forms, clean lines, and nuanced color fields. His wide-ranging practice included painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, and mixed media. Over six decades, he emerged as a leading figure in Thai abstract and non-objective art.

In his solo exhibition In Amsterdam with Chavalit Soemprungsuk, held in 2013 at the Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center, Soemprungsuk donated over 4,000 items to the Thai government. These included artworks, books, furniture, personal belongings, and the structural framework of his Amsterdam studio. He stipulated that the entire collection must remain accessible to the public for the benefit of future generations of Thai artists. In the following year, 2014, he was officially recognized as a National Artist in Visual Arts (Painting) by Thailand’s Ministry of Culture.

In his later years, Soemprungsuk turned to digital art, working daily from his studio in Amsterdam and sharing his works through his personal Facebook page. He later began producing unique one-of-a-kind inkjet prints nearly every day. This final body of work debuted in 80+ Art Festival Thailand, held from November 2019 to March 2020 to celebrate his 80th birthday. The festival featured exhibitions at several venues, including Silpa Bhirasri’s House, Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), Baramee of Art, Lhong 1919, Numthong Art Space, and the Nan Riverside Art Gallery. Further exhibitions were planned across the country.