From France, Dr. Amandine Dabat had a conversation with Thanh Nien .
Why did you decide to organize an exhibition of King Ham Nghi's works this time?
The exhibition Sky, Mountains, Water was held for the first time in Vietnam dedicated to King Ham Nghi . I have always dreamed of organizing an exhibition of King Ham Nghi's works in my homeland. Thanks to the Lan Tinh Foundation, we cooperated with Vietnamese collectors to organize an exhibition with paintings that have never been exhibited, even in France.
My doctoral thesis helped to establish King Ham Nghi as the first modern Vietnamese artist. Few Vietnamese people know that King Ham Nghi was also an artist and was recognized by his colleagues in France. He studied sculpture with the famous painter Auguste Rodin and exhibited his work many times. His personal archives, as well as the press of the time, demonstrate the interest of French artists in his works.
Last November 2024, I introduced Ham Nghi - Emperor in exile, artist in Algiers - a translation of the book published in French by the Sorbonne University Press, based on my doctoral thesis. The book presents a historical study of the life and works of King Ham Nghi, with more than 2,500 letters, drafts, and personal papers.
Also in November 2024, the oil painting Deli Ibrahim Hill ( Algiers ) by King Ham Nghi was donated by his descendants to the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi . Another oil painting, Lake on the Alps, was donated to the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum.
Dr. Amandine Dabat introduces the book Ham Nghi - Emperor in exile, artist in Algiers at Duyet Thi Duong Theater, Hue Imperial City, November 2024
How did you collect 20 paintings of King Ham Nghi in the exhibition Sky, Mountains, Water ?
Over the years, works by King Ham Nghi have been regularly traded in the art market in France. Most of the works sold are owned by the descendants of the friends to whom King Ham Nghi gave his works. Most of the paintings on display this time are owned by Vietnamese collectors, which makes the exhibition unique and different from previous exhibitions in France. We are very grateful to the collectors who agreed to lend their paintings, giving the Vietnamese public the opportunity to discover King Ham Nghi's works.
Some of the paintings came from the collection of Henri Aubé, a French officer and friend of King Ham Nghi, to whom the king gave many paintings. Henri Aubé and King Ham Nghi met in Vichy, France, where he visited almost every year for spa treatments. He brought his painting materials with him and spent a lot of time there creating. These paintings are a precious testimony to his daily work.
Other paintings were created by King Ham Nghi while he was in France, on family vacations; or in Algeria, at his home.
King Ham Nghi painted Dawn on the Lake around 1910 in oil on canvas. The painting is on display at the exhibition Sky, Mountains, Water
LYNDA TROUVÉ
The painting "Wheat Field" by King Ham Nghi painted in 1913, displayed at the exhibition "Sky, Mountains, Water"
LYNDA TROUVÉ
How are precious works preserved over the past 100 years?
Most of King Ham Nghi's artworks were preserved by generations of his descendants or the descendants of his friends. Some of them were restored thanks to the king's increasing popularity in France through auction houses. Now many people pay attention to the paintings when they see the king's signature and the artist's name written in Chinese characters - Tu Xuan.
Unfortunately, most of King Ham Nghi’s artworks were lost during the Algerian war, when his house was looted and burned. Those that were saved were those he had given to his children or friends, and brought back to France before the war.
Only a small fraction of Ham Nghi’s artwork has survived. We know from his letters that he painted every day. In 1902, he wrote to a friend that he usually painted an oil painting every week. About 150 works of art have survived, a very small number compared to the number of paintings, sketches and sculptures he produced.
King Ham Nghi once gave a painting to the famous painter Auguste Rodin and this work is still preserved in the Rodin Museum in Paris. After I finished my doctoral thesis, 5 works by King Ham Nghi (2 oil paintings, 2 pastels and 1 sculpture) were added to the collection of the Cernuschi Museum in Paris.
The owners of King Ham Nghi’s paintings in France are gradually realizing the value of this heritage and more and more works of art are being entrusted to restoration experts. I hope that more works will be displayed in museums, especially in Vietnam. I am also working on some other exhibition projects in France.
When you decided to research the king's life and career for your doctoral thesis, what obstacles did you encounter and how did you overcome them?
I decided to research the life and work of King Ham Nghi after discovering his private archive of 2,500 letters and manuscripts kept by his eldest daughter. It was this previously unpublished archive that led me to dedicate my doctoral thesis to the king. The first challenge was to classify and catalogue the archive. Then I did research in colonial archives, both in France and Vietnam, to compare what the French government said about King Ham Nghi with what we know from his private correspondence.
Collecting the works of King Ham Nghi required a lot of effort, especially searching for descendants of friends to whom he had given his works. I was fortunate to have an attractive thesis topic, extremely moved by discovering King Ham Nghi as both an artist and a normal person in daily life through the emotions expressed in his letters. I believe that his example of resilience and dignity in exile has helped me complete my research to share with the world about his life and work.
Ham Nghi - Emperor in exile, artist in Algiers
LE HOAI NHAN
If King Ham Nghi could be summed up in three words, what would they be?
If I were to look at King Ham Nghi from an outside perspective, I would say: "King, Patriot, Artist". But based on his private correspondence, to look at the man, I would say: "Dignity, Resilience, Sensitivity".
In your opinion, what did the king far from home want to convey through his paintings? Why are his works so valuable in the world market?
His paintings are a family legacy, helping us access the artistic soul of our ancestors. As an art historian, I admire his work because he was the first Vietnamese artist trained by the French, before the Indochina Fine Arts School was established. King Ham Nghi was exiled from the age of 18, lasting 55 years. Art was his way of expressing his emotions. We can feel in his paintings his nostalgia for his homeland, the pain of exile. But King Ham Nghi also wanted to express his love for the beauty of nature. Looking at and painting nature was his way of finding meaning in his life. I don’t think King Ham Nghi painted to convey a message. He painted for himself, to remember, to express his emotions. Moreover, he never sold his works, only occasionally giving them to friends.
His works are valuable in the art market because King Ham Nghi was hardly known as an artist. He did not try to make himself famous during his lifetime, although his fellow French artists welcomed him into their circle of fame. King Ham Nghi’s paintings only entered the art market in 2010. Since then, some of them have been included in museum collections, both in France and Vietnam. His works have increased in value since he was recognized as the first modern Vietnamese artist.
Besides paintings, King Ham Nghi also created statues?
King Ham Nghi was trained in fine arts by French artist Marius Reynaud in 1889. He studied sculpture with Auguste Rodin, so he was also the first modern Vietnamese sculptor. His works were still greatly influenced by Auguste Rodin and were quite different from those of later Vietnamese artists.
Do you have plans to bring King Ham Nghi's remains back to his homeland as he wished?
I hope that one day, King Ham Nghi’s remains will be brought back to Vietnam and buried near his father’s grave in Hue as he wished. However, for now, what is important is that King Ham Nghi’s descendants always pay their respects when visiting his grave. We will have to wait until after this generation to consider the relocation.
How do you feel about being of Vietnamese origin and being a descendant of a patriotic king?
The first time I came to Vietnam in 2011, I was very moved when I set foot on the land of my ancestors. I discovered a place that my ancestors loved and that I loved too. I saw the love and respect that the Vietnamese people had for their king. This encouraged me to do research. For nearly 15 years, I have devoted all my heart to sharing the life and career of King Ham Nghi so that the Vietnamese people and the world can learn more about the patriotic king.
For me, this is like a form of compensation, a way to give back to the Vietnamese people the history of the life of a patriotic king. Since writing my doctoral thesis, I have returned to Vietnam almost every year. I hope that Sky, Mountains, Water will be brought to other cities in Vietnam and I will have many opportunities to return to present this exhibition to the public.
Dr. Amandine Dabat donated King Ham Nghi's relics to the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum
How does your Vietnamese roots help you feel the cultural difference: both strange but also close and warm?
Since my first visit in 2011, I have been back to Vietnam almost every year, staying from a few weeks to a few months. Vietnam has become my second home. It is the land of my ancestors, so it has a special place in my heart. During my first visits, I experienced a big cultural gap. But the longer I stay in Vietnam, the more I feel at home.
Discovering and understanding the culture of my ancestors is very important to me. In France, we do not practice ancestor worship like in Vietnam. Participating in the worshiping ceremonies made me very emotional. I was able to pay my respects to King Ham Nghi in the way he wanted his descendants to do. Researching King Ham Nghi also helped me find my relatives in Vietnam and reconnect with them. Now, I feel as attached to my family in Vietnam as I do in France.
Thank you!
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tien-si-amandine-dabat-vua-ham-nghi-nghe-si-trong-than-phan-luu-day-185250315171621548.htm
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