Desaix Anderson’s art is a personal philosophical exploration of the meaning of life. A career diplomat, writer, and painter, the native Mississippian had homes in New York, Washington, and Paris. From a career spent largely in Asia, Desaix had a profound attachment to nature, the seasons, and cycles of decay and rebirth—of societies and individuals. 

Desaix’s preference for minimalist composition reflected his years of living in Japan, but earthy colors and peasant scenes have appeared in his paintings since his third residency in Vietnam, from 1995 to 1997. Rich colors reflect Desaix’s innate optimism, passion for life, and vivid recollections of ancient and contemporary Asia from his time spent living in China, Vietnam, Nepal, and Thailand. Mountains, rivers, the sun, the moon, and the sea are recurrent themes in his paintings. Ancient structures emerge as another major theme in a series of paintings on the ancient cities of Vietnam, reflecting his fascination with the lives and livelihoods of the peoples of Asia. More recent work inspired by travel in France, Italy, and Mexico echo these themes in contemporary settings. 

Attuned to the harmony and balance of life, Desaix used textures and vibrant colors to create powerful works that incorporate a rare spiritual depth. In his work, color, form, and expression co-exist in an inseparable relationship. An abstract visionary, Desaix worked with acrylics on canvas, embedding gold leaf and handmade Asian papers into collages, mingling hints of nature or philosophical ideas in golds, reds, and mustards, and creating evocative and sensuous mosaics of pleasure, innuendo, and adventure.

Born in Mississippi on February 12, 1936, Desaix studied history, literature, and philosophy at Princeton University (BA 1958) and literature at the University of California in Berkeley. Desaix was the first U.S. envoy in Vietnam after diplomatic relations were established in 1995, and his art was on continuous exhibition to thousands of visitors in the American Embassy residence in Hanoi and Tokyo. He held exhibitions in New York galleries in Soho, Chelsea, and Tribeca; in Paris; in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; in Washington, DC; and in Oxford and Sumner, Mississippi.