About Burma Modern Art

Burma Modern Art (BMA) is the principal archive and resource on the Peacock Gallery Circle—a central pillar of Myanmar’s modernist movement. Over two decades, founder Chris Dodge collaborated closely in the U.S. with two of the movement's pioneers, Win Pe and Paw Thame. Dodge conducted extensive biographical interviews with both artists and maintained years of correspondence with Paw Thame. Working alongside editor Ma Thanegi, Dodge produced Paw Thame’s memoir, I Am Cadmium Red. 

Today, with Curator Orn Eckley, BMA places important archival works into institutional and private collections worldwide.

The BMA Archive

We maintain a comprehensive archive of early and U.S.-period works acquired directly from the artists, ensuring institutional quality.

Direction

As Southeast Asian modern masters gain institutional recognition, BMA focuses on placing key works with North American museums and private collectors. This honors the legacy of Win Pe and Paw Thame, who developed critical bodies of work as American citizens.

Advisory

We partner with a select group of private collectors to build museum-grade collections designed to be studied, preserved, and positioned for long-term legacy.

Philosophy 

We draw our inspiration from the early championing of postwar American art—recognizing a comparable historical emergence today for Myanmar’s modernists and the Peacock Gallery Circle.