A masterpiece painting of Ha Long Bay, measuring 5 meters in length, is on display at the Indochina Fine Arts Exhibition.

The work of French painter Jean-Louis Paguenaud (1876-1952) attracted attention at the "Dreams of the Far East" exhibition, which opened on the afternoon of August 14th. Measuring 513 cm long and 212 cm wide, the painting is the largest work by an artist from the Indochina era ever exhibited.

Jean-Louis Paguenaud's painting "Ha Long Bay" (oil on canvas, 1934) is the highlight of the "Dreams of the Far East" exhibition.

Using oil paint on canvas, Paguenaud captured a corner of Ha Long Bay with its lush green mountains, crystal-clear waters, and abundant vegetation. He was sent to Vietnam by the French government in the early 20th century as a "naval" painter – a prestigious title for outstanding artistic talents. After returning to France in 1934, he reminisced and recreated the scenic beauty in his studio.

Viewing the painting at the exhibition, researcher Ngo Kim Khoi - specializing in Indochinese art - assessed the work as a fascinating masterpiece with vibrant colors, reflecting the perspective of a European artist visiting a tropical country for the first time. The painting is typical of the exoticism style - referring to artistic inspiration drawn from unfamiliar and new lands.

Ace Le, the event curator, said that exhibiting this painting was a major challenge for Sotheby's, the exhibition organizer. The painting, part of a private collection in Hanoi , had suffered from sagging canvas and deterioration due to weathering. When borrowing the painting, experts only had 12 days to transport and restore it to its best condition before presenting it to the public.

The process of lowering and wrapping the painting took four days because the artwork weighed 160 kg. The team mobilized a group of 15 art-handling specialists to move the items and set up scaffolding. When it came time to transport the painting to Ho Chi Minh City, because the collector's residence was located in an alley, the team had to carefully plan how to move the painting to the main road with minimal vibration, then wrap it in bubble wrap and transport it by container truck for three days to the South.

The final step – restoration and stretching the canvas – was the most difficult, due to a shortage of experts in the country. Hien Nguyen, who studied and practiced restoration in France for 17 years, researched and carried out the project with a team of 20 people. According to Ace Le, Jean-Louis Paguenaud has excellent painting skills, and the painting's surface is still 90% intact. The team only took two and a half days to restore the minor scratches. They also calculated and installed a wall strong enough to hang the painting for four days at the exhibition site.

The painting "Ba Vi Mountain Range Seen from Son Tay Fields" by Joseph Inguimerty (1896-1971) was painted in 1932-1933.

In addition to this work, 55 other paintings of Indochina by European artists are being presented to the Vietnamese public for the first time at an event organized by Sotheby's – one of the leading art auction houses. The exhibition is divided into three sections, corresponding to three rooms. In the first room, viewers can admire paintings by lecturers from the Indochina School of Fine Arts (1924-1945), the cradle of modern Vietnamese art, which trained many famous painters such as Le Pho, Mai Trung Thu, and Nguyen Gia Tri.

The second room displays works by "naval painters" who came to Vietnam in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, laying the foundation for Indochinese art. The third room features paintings by "traveling painters"—those who came to Vietnam on scholarships or with their families, showcasing the artistic journey of Western painting.

The organizers borrowed 56 artworks from 25 Vietnamese collectors living both in Vietnam and abroad. Compared to Sotheby's "Ancient Souls, Strange Harbors" exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City in 2022, which featured four renowned Vietnamese painters, the works in this exhibition are easier to verify in terms of their origins, as most of the French artists still have relatives living in Vietnam. The series of paintings is presented for non-commercial purposes, primarily focusing on their cultural and historical value to give Vietnamese audiences an opportunity to learn about and appreciate them.

The painting "Against the Current of the Tau Hu Canal" by Adolt Obst (1869-1945)

Guest artist and singer Thanh Bui was moved when viewing the works of French painters, from paintings of the Tau Hu Canal (Saigon) to the rice fields of Son Tay (Hanoi). "I felt their love for Vietnam, even after a century. I hope there will be more exhibitions like this, so that not only the general public but also students can learn about and appreciate the exquisite values of the past," he said.

Sotheby's is one of the world's largest auction houses for paintings and antiques, operating in 40 countries and territories. In 2021, Sotheby's revenue from paintings alone was $5 billion. Ace Le is an independent art researcher and curator. He is currently an advisor to the Vietnam Art Data Archive (ViAA) and a member of the Arts Australia Council's 2022 International Arts Leadership Program. He holds a Master's degree in Museum Studies and Curatorial Practice from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

According to VnExpress

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