Hugo Quan Vie

Hugo Quan Vie was born on September 8, 1946 in Cochrane Village, Guapo. In 1967, at the age of 20, his art career began when he joined Lonsdale-Hands Advertising as an apprentice artist. He worked with the agency for four years, until 1971, before heading to Philadelphia, U.S.A. to further his studies in the field of art.

Upon his arrival in the United States, he first attended   for one semester, until he transferred to the Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia, one of the most prestigious art training institutions in the U.S.. Under the guidance of the school’s lecturers, Hugo gained the knowledge and essentials to become a successful artist in the practice of many media. After four years at art school, he graduated in 1975 with an Associate Degree in Art. In addition, he received the Art Director’s Gold Award from Philadelphia’s Art Directors Club, for the most outstanding portfolio.

During the years after art school, Quan Vie did many jobs as a freelance artist in both the U.S.A. and Canada. When he returned to Trinidad and Tobago, he took up employment at A & G Advertising as the Creative Director. In 1980, he left A & G Advertising to establish his own company – Sales Promotion & Advertising Limited, which he owned and operated for many years.

Quan Vie held several exhibitions during his lifetime and was commissioned in 2004 to paint a portrait of then Governor of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Winston Dookeran.