'Cánh Đồng Lúa Mì' (The Wheat Field) was painted by King Hàm Nghi in 1913. Photo courtesy of Lynda Trouvé

HUẾ CITY Paintings by King Hàm Nghi will be displayed this month for the first time at an exhibition in the ancient royal capital city of Huế.

The Huế Monuments Conservation Centre has announced that the exhibit will take place at Kiến Trung Palace in the Huế Royal Palace Heritage Site from March 25 to April 6, in conjunction with the French Institute in Việt Nam and Art Republik magazine. 

The display is part of a series of cultural activities to mark the opening of National Tourism Year 2025 and the 50th anniversary of Huế Liberation Day, which falls on March 26.

With the theme 'Trời, Non, Nước | Allusive Panorama' (Sky, Mountain, Water | Allusive Panorama), the exhibition -- the largest one to show King Hàm Nghi’s paintings in Việt Nam -- will present more than 20 pieces he created during his exile. 

The works are gathered from 10 private collections, and have been repatriated, appraised, preserved and restored by leading experts.

They have been co-curated by art researcher Ace Lê and Amandine Dabat, PhD, who is the fifth generation descendant of Hàm Nghi, an emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty who reigned for only one year before being captured and exiled to Algeria in 1886 because of his opposition to the French colonial rule.

The exhibition will take place at Kiến Trung Palace in the Huế Royal Palace Heritage Site from March 25 to April 6. Photo baovanhoa.vn

Hoàng Việt Trung, director of the Huế Monuments Conservation Centre, said the exhibition will help preserve and promote the nation's cultural identity and will also help younger generations better understand the country's history and culture, thereby raising awareness of the preservation and promotion of heritage. 

The exhibit will also uphold the reputation of the ancient capital city of Huế as a cultural centre in the "historical flow" of Việt Nam, according to Trung.

It is an opportunity for foreign and Vietnamese art lovers to admire the paintings by King Hàm Nghi, who was one of the first two Vietnamese artists to paint in the modern art style.

Amandine Dabat (left) surveys the exhibition venue at Kiến Trung Palace during a visit to Việt Nam in November 2024. Photo baovanhoa.vn

Meanwhile, curator Ace Lê said King Hàm Nghi's paintings uniquely combine his artistic talent and love for the country.

Through his art, he expressed his nostalgia for his homeland. His paintings also contain a 'hidden resistance' to oppression during his exile, Lê said.

The exhibition will be open to visitors from 7.30am to 5.30pm every day from March 25 to April 6.

Viewers will not only be able to admire the valuable artwork, but will also have the opportunity to interact with the curators and experts to learn more about the process of repatriating King Hàm Nghi's paintings to Việt Nam.

Previously, during a visit to Việt Nam in November 2024, Dabat surveyed the heritage relic site in Huế, ultimately choosing Kiến Trung Palace as the space for the exhibition.

The palace is a recently restored relic with historical significance and a unique architectural style, suitable for the exhibition of the former emperor's paintings.

Also in November last year, Dabat donated the artwork Hillsides in Deli Ibrahim (Algiers) by the emperor to the Việt Nam Museum of Fine Arts.

The oil painting, created by the emperor in exile in 1908, depicts a countryside scene near his home in Algiers.

The artwork shows a sunset landscape. Using a dot painting style influenced by French painters of the late 19th century, Hàm Nghi made the vibrant colours of the evening come alive.

In 1926, the painting was exhibited at the Mantelet-Colette Weil Gallery in Paris under the name Tử Xuân.

Dabat has also released a book, titled Hàm Nghi – Empereur en exil, artiste à Alger (Hàm Nghi: Emperor in Exile – Artist in Algiers) based on her doctoral thesis about the emperor's artistic career.

The publication contains over 70 pages of fine artworks, including pages of sculptures, documentary photos and letters. VNS