Exhibition of 20th century Vietnamese art: A rendezvous with masters of painting

In celebration of the upcoming centennial of the Indochina College of Fine Arts (1915-2025), Le Auction House will host the exhibition "20th Century Vietnamese Art" from January 1 to 7, 2025 at No. 44 Yen Phu, Hanoi.

The Two Beauties - Deux Jeunes Femmes by Vu Cao Dam.

Featuring an impressive collection of 168 unique works, the exhibition masterfully recreates significant milestones in Vietnamese fine art. It brings a rich tapestry of art from all three regions: North, Central, and South. The exhibition provides a rare opportunity for the public to admire and pay tribute to the masters of Indochinese painting, such as "Pho - Thu - Luu - Dam", "Tri - Lan - Van - Can", "Nghiem - Lien - Sang - Phai" and "Nhan - Hoa - Hau - Kiem" are prominently featured.

The Pho-Thu-Luu-Dam group, consisting of the revered artists Le Pho (1907-2001), Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980), Le Thi Luu (1911-1988), and Vu Cao Dam (1908-2000), are Vietnam's four greatest painters. Their profound influence has indelibly shaped the nation's painting.

Trained at the Indochina College of Fine Arts, these four gifted artists traveled to France in the 1930s with great aspirations. They enriched Vietnam's artistic heritage with their unique palettes, forming a brilliant quartet whose influence reverberates throughout the European art scene.

The space of the exhibition. Photo: Aqua Art

Le Pho was born in 1907 in the village of Nhan Chinh in Hanoi. He was best known for his paintings of nudes, gardens, and floral still lifes.

Before enrolling at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris on a scholarship in 1932, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Hanoi under the mentorship of Victor François Tardieu, the school’s founder and the lone French advocate for the distinctive artistic expression of Vietnamese artists. Thanks to Professor Tardieu, Vietnamese fine art was shaped, and local painters gradually gained recognition.

Professor Victor Tardieu listed Le Pho as one of his top 10 Vietnamese students. Tardieu also introduced Le Pho to Asian art during his five years of study. Le Pho briefly returned to Hanoi from France to teach painting before settling permanently in Paris. Today, his works are kept in the collections of the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris and the Oklahoma Arts Center, among others.

"Le Pho's "A Woman with a Fan.

His works are highly sought after around the world. In April 2022, the three-panel painting Figures in a Garden by Le Pho was sold for US$2.29 million. In October 2022, The et Sympathie (The Sympathy) was sold for $1.36 million at Sotheby's Hong Kong. His Autoportrait dans la forêt (A Self-Portrait in the Forest) was sold for $1.05 million at Sotheby's France in March 2021. In May 2019, his oil-on-canvas painting Nue (Nude) was hammered at an auction at Christie's Hong Kong for nearly $1.4 million, making it his most expensive work at the time. 

One of the first graduates of the École des Beaux-Arts de 'Indochine (Vietnam University of Fine Arts) in Hanoi, works of Mai Trung Thu (b. 1906) celebrated the innocence of rural Vietnam.

His participation in the International Decorative Arts Exhibition in Paris in 1937 led him to settle in France. Although he lived there for most of his life, Thu maintained a deep emotional attachment to his homeland, painting tender images of Vietnamese women, children, and idealized landscapes.

"The Two Beauties" by Mai Trung Thu.

His silk paintings depict ethnic Vietnamese figures, mostly women, engaged in a variety of leisurely activities. Their serene expressions, evocative poses, and lively interactions create a romantic and poetic vision of everyday Vietnamese life. Unlike other silk painters, Le Trung Thu often used bold colors to illustrate traditional clothing and utensils, culminating in vibrant scenes of peaceful nostalgia.

Le Thi Luu was born in 1911 in the picturesque village of Tho Khoi, Bac Ninh Province. Her father, Le Van Que, was a dedicated official at the embassy, while her mother, Nguyen Thi Que, raised their family with dignity.

In 1927, the artist began her artistic journey at the Indochina College of Fine Arts, Class III. She graduated as valedictorian in 1932, a testament to her exceptional talent. In March 1940, Le Thi Luu followed her husband to France, where she continued to make significant contributions to the art world and spent the rest of her life in this vibrant and culturally rich country.

Le Thi Luu's "Mother and Children on the Grass".

According to art critic Thuy Khue, Le Thi Luu has "created a world of her own" with her silk paintings. With its naive toddlers, stunning mountain girls, and independent, graceful ladies, her artwork eloquently captures pre-war Vietnamese society. Women in their mid-spring years with elegantly tied hair abound in Luu's pictorial universe. In her book "Le Thi Luu - Impression of Sunset", she wrote: "Mountain girls are carrying their babies through a forest of flowers, and gentle beauties reminiscent of the elegant Thuy Kieu playing the pipa."

Luu's masterpieces include Me Diu Con (Mother Carrying Baby on Her Back), Ba Me Con Qua Phu (A Widow and Her Children), and Son Nu (Mountain Girl). In addition, Luu's paintings also depict landscapes and people from places where she has traveled, such as Portrait of a Guinée Man and Landscape of Puy de Dôme, Auvergne.

"Le retour" (The Return) by Vu Cao Dam.

Vu Cao Dam (1908 - 2000), graduated from the Indochina College of Fine Arts and left Vietnam before beginning his journey abroad in 1931. He received a scholarship to study at the School of Fine Arts at the Louvre Museum in France (L'École du Louvre) in 1932.

The painter is known for his exceptional talent in both sculpture and painting, which are celebrated for their unique blend of Eastern and Western artistic traditions, depicting Vietnamese women and children and capturing the essence of Vietnamese culture and heritage. Some of his notable works include "Girl Combing Hair", "Girl with Flowers," and "Thuy Kieu - Kim Trong."

His sculptures are preserved and exhibited in various museums around the world, including the Quai Branly Museum (France), the Sa Bassa Blanca Museum (Spain), the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, and numerous private collections.  

The works of four Vietnamese painters, each with their own unique artistic style, perfectly capture the essence of the Vietnamese people. Their contributions strengthen the position of Vietnamese painting on the international art map while enhancing the country's artistic heritage. 

Kneeling Woman - Vu Cao Dam.

Featuring works by exceptional painters who captured the spirit of the times, the 20th-century Vietnamese Art also highlights the resilience of art during the period of resistance in northern Vietnam. Notable artists from this period include Luu Cong Nhan, Le Huy Hoa, Tran Luu Hau, and Nguyen Trong Kiem.

Their paintings, which combine realistic and imaginative themes, capture the spirit of the country and the challenges of the time. These paintings depict Vietnamese people and landscapes, expressing the will to protect the homeland and create a better future.

The exhibition is open from January 1 to 7 at Aqua Art, 1st floor, Hanoi Aqua Central at No.44 Yen Phu Street, Truc Bach Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.