Van

Angola

Abstract and Expressionist Painting by Van

Contemporary Figurative African Art

Fine Art Collectors and African Diaspora Artists

"Francisco D. Van-Dúnem — known as Van — paints with a sensibility rooted in memory, culture, and the intimate rhythms of Angola. His work moves between lived experience and ancestral symbolism, drawing on gesture, colour, and form to evoke the spiritual depth of everyday life. For Van, painting is an act of reflection and renewal, a dialogue between past and present that invites viewers into a space where identity, history, and emotion converge."

MEET

Van

Francisco D. Van-Dúnem (Van) is an Angolan visual artist and educator born in Bom Jesus. Trained in Visual Arts in Luanda and later in painting in Havana, he became a co-founder of the União Nacional de Artistas Plásticos and a central figure in the development of artistic education in Angola.

He holds a degree from Viana do Castelo and a Master’s in Art Education from the University of Surrey Roehampton. With 38 solo exhibitions and several distinguished awards — including the National Prize for Culture and the Arts — Van continues to be an influential presence in Angola’s artistic landscape. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Management and Administration Policies at ISCTE, Portugal.

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