T H E P O R T R A I T A S I C N
THE PORTRAIT OF
R O N N I E C H A N
VINCENT XEUS
To Stephany a lifelong friend, whose presence has been a kind light since our college years
And to Adriel whose spirit and authenticity bring depth and steadiness to our friendship.
This painting is a tribute to Mr. Ronnie Chan, whose life and legacy have shaped the lives and environment for many, myself included. In painting Mr. Chan, I sought to honor his enduring influence: a figure marked by clarity, vision, and conviction.
Vincent Xeus
THE PORTRAIT AS ICON
In this portrait of Mr. Ronnie Chan, Vincent Xeus brings together two defining elements of his practice: a mastery of representational form and a sustained inquiry into the relationship between memory, identity, and place. The painting presents Mr Chan in a quiet gravity, grounded in composure, discernment, and inward clarity.
A pillar in business and long-standing philanthropist, Mr. Chan has played a significant role in shaping cultural dialogue across Asia and the United States His advocacy for education and the arts, particularly through his leadership at the Asia Society and other institutions, has had lasting impact. Xeus, who has long been inspired by Mr. Chan’s legacy and vision, approaches the portrait as a meditation on the influence of character across geography and generations
Behind the figure, the landscape of Hong Kong unfolds as a celebrated terrain Treated through abstract oil techniques and infused with the gestural spirit of Chinese ink painting, the skyline and mountains dissolve and reassemble across the surface like layered recollections. Echoing the composition of the Mona Lisa, the figure is gently brought forward, emerging from two distinct yet continuous atmospheric halves shaped by the figure, and shaping him in return The result is a space both architectural and poetic, anchored in place yet shifting in tone.
As in much of Xeus’s work, the portrait occupies the threshold between figuration and abstraction. Mr. Chan stands grounded and defined, yet surrounded by a world in flux. The painting becomes both a record and a reflection: a study in presence, legacy, and the cultural landscape one inhabits and helps to build Mr Ronnie Chan, c 2024-2025
Mr. Ronnie Chan, c. 2024-2025
Oil on linen
40 x 30 inches / 1016 x 762 cm
Detail
Mr. Ronnie Chan, c. 2024-2025
Oil on linen
40 x 30 inches / 1016 x 762 cm
Xeus Studios, Manhattan
Mr. Ronnie Chan, c. 2024-2025
Oil on linen
40 x 30 inches / 1016 x 762 cm
Detail
Mr. Ronnie Chan, c. 2024-2025
Oil on linen
40 x 30 inches / 1016 x 762 cm
Detail
Mr. Ronnie Chan, c. 2024-2025
Oil on linen
40 x 30 inches / 1016 x 762 cm
Detail
Mr Ronnie Chan, c 2024-2025
Oil on linen
40 x 30 inches / 101.6 x 76.2 cm
ABOUT XEUS
Vincent Xeus is a contemporary artist whose portraiture navigates the layered terrain of legacy, presence, and the individual’s imprint on history. Working at the intersection of abstraction and figuration, his paintings offer a meditation on identity as both lived experience and cultural inheritance
Drawing from Eastern and Western traditions, Xeus reimagines classical forms through layered brushwork, tonal complexity, and a visual language that is timeless yet unmistakably his own. Within this dialogue between past and present, he reveals how personal legacy is shaped by collective memory and agency.
His portraiture is distinguished by a deep sensitivity to psychological nuance Figures emerge as vessels of complexity, observed with clarity, restraint, and emotional precision. Each work becomes an artifact of character, crafted with discipline and imbued with resilience.
Xeus’s work has garnered international recognition and is held in prominent public and private collections worldwide. Defined by technical command and conceptual depth, his practice continues to shape the evolving language of contemporary portraiture.
Trained in architecture, Xeus also creates immersive environments that merge art, design, and cultural memory. His spatial projects across the U S and Asia including his role as Chief Designer and Artistic Director for Budweiser’s global experiential center reflect his pursuit of art as lived experience
A committed advocate for cultural exchange and public service, Xeus was a featured speaker at the 2019 Harvard College China Forum. He has served as Board Director of the Arts Council Napa Valley and as Arts Commissioner for Napa County
He holds a degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s from Columbia University, where he received the Columbia Fellow Award. Xeus lives and works between Manhattan and Napa Valley.
In my work, expression manifests at the fault line of history and autonomy.
VINCENT XEUS
