Telling the story of Indochina's fine arts heritage in the early days of its establishment

Recently, at Quang San Art Museum (HCMC), the opening ceremony of the exhibition "Nam Son Memories" and the launching ceremony of the book series "Nam Son (1899 - 1973), Indochina Fine Arts Heritage through documents, archives and press" took place.

Visitors at the exhibition

The event was organized to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Indochina College of Fine Arts (1925-2025), aiming to honor the legacy of painter Nam Son, who, along with Victor Tardieu, laid the foundation for modern Vietnamese art.

The book series "Nam Son (1899–1973), The Artistic Heritage of Indochina through Documents, Archives and Newspapers"

The "Nam Son Memories" exhibition, running until November 2nd, brings together for the first time 10 representative works by the artist Nam Son currently in Vietnam. The works demonstrate remarkable diversity in technique, from oil painting and unique seven-color wood carving to pastel, charcoal, and watercolor. Particularly noteworthy is the still life of tomatoes, lettuce, and eel-skin vases (1923), an oil painting created before the establishment of the Indochina School of Fine Arts, demonstrating Nam Son's pioneering vision in blending Eastern and Western aesthetics.

Mr. Ngo Kim Khoi, grandson of painter Nam Son.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Ngo Kim Khoi, the author of the book series and grandson of painter Nam Son, said: “This is the first time these works, especially the Still Life with Tomatoes and Lettuce and the Eel Skin Vase , have been gathered in Vietnam. Bringing them here is like completing a cycle of memories, allowing the public in the country to clearly see his true legacy.”

Also at the exhibition was the presentation of the book series "Nam Son (1899 - 1973), The Artistic Heritage of Indochina through Documents, Archives and Newspapers" . The work is the culmination of 25 years of research by author Ngo Kim Khoi. The series consists of two volumes, 998 pages, and over 600 documentary images. It is considered a monumental scholarly work, opening up an academic perspective on the role of the painter Nam Son in Vietnamese painting. The book was published by the Fine Arts Publishing House.

TRONG TRUNG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ke-chuyen-di-san-my-thuat-dong-duong-nhung-ngay-dau-thanh-lap-post819923.html