Ink-and-gouache-on-silk painting Mandarin Ducks and Lotus by Lê Phổ is on show at the Cernuschi Museum.

HÀ NỘI — An exhibition is being held at the Cernuschi Museum in Paris showing 150 works by three pioneers of modern Vietnamese art, some of the first students at Indochina School of Fine Arts.

The exhibition traces the artistic time lines of Lê Phổ, Mai Trung Thứ and Vũ Cao Đàm at the school, followed by their long careers in France from 1937 onwards.

The school will celebrate it's 100th anniversary this year.

It is the first exhibition devoted to the three artists, who represent the development of Vietnamese art in the 20th century, which will include pieces from a variety of sources, including public and private lenders, the artists' families and close friends.

"Through the exhibition, the museum expresses their respect to Vietnamese masters," said fine arts critic Ngô Kim Khôi. "Cernuschi and Guimet in Paris are particular specialists in Asian art."

The artists' families have also kept many rare documents, including drafts and research from them during their time studying at the school.

"This exhibition also shows the longivity of Indochina painting," Khôi said. "I know that there are visitors from Việt Nam and other countries who will come to see the exhibition. It is really a rare and valuable chance to see something quite unique."

The exhibition retraces the stylistic evolution of the artists from the beginning to the end of their careers.

One highlight of the exhibition is an oil canvas by Lê Phổ sized at 210cm by 450cm. It is the first commission he received while still a student in 1929 and will be on show for the first time, on loan from the House of Southeast Asian Students at the Cite Internationale Universitaire in Paris.

Other lenders include France's Mobilier National and the Ministry of Justice.

The Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac is lending a group of sculptures by Vũ Cao Đàm, and paintings by the artists are being drawn from the collection of the Centre National des Arts Plastiques.

A visitor gazes at a painting displayed at an exhibition featuring artworks by Lê Phổ, Mai Trung Thứ, and Vũ Cao Đàm at the Cernuschi Museum in Paris. VNS Photos Thúy Hằng

Vintage photographs, drawings from the artists' formative years and preparatory sketches are displayed alongside works on silk, oils, lacquered screens and sculptures in plaster and bronze.

Despite the fact that the artworks of these artists are very famous in the international art market, the public are still not very familiar with these masterpieces, according to Anne Fort, the museum's curator in charge of the Vietnamese collection.

The exhibition is an opportunity to introduce the life, careers and styles of these artists to art lovers in France, she noted.

Phổ and Thứ were among the first students at the school, while Đàm came along in the next generation. Their period of study at the school triggered a shared urge to experience the artistic liveliness of Paris.

Phổ (1907- 2001) was the first Vietnamese artist whose paintings were sold for a million dollars in public auctions. In 2023, his ink-and-gouache-on-silk painting was sold for US$2.369 million at the ‘50th Anniversary Modern Evening Auction’ by Sotheby's Hong Kong.

Thứ (1906-1980)'s painting Portrait de Mademoiselle Phương (Portrait of Mademoiselle Phương) created in 1930 was sold for a record price of $3.1 million at the auction Beyond Legends: Modern Art Evening Sale of Sotheby's Hong Kong, setting the world auction record for a Vietnamese artwork.

The exhibition runs until March 9. — VNS