Trilingual-book 'Modern Art in Indochina' will be distributed in February (Photo: VNA) The book entitled NgheThuat Hien Dai Dong Duong (Modern Art in Indochina) is published inFrench, Vietnamese and English by In Fine editions d'art publisher.
The 432-page book is the fruit of Reynier's ten years of research and expertiseon the genesis of Vietnamese modern art and will celebrate the 100thanniversary of the school this year.
"Publishing in three languages is important," said Reynier at thebook launching recently at the Việt Nam Fine Arts University, its precursor theIndochina School of Fine Arts.
"It will help to reach a wider audience, with a trilingual book. The booklifts the veil that was cast over 70 years ago on an entire section ofinternational art history. It bears witness to the way in which the art marketenriches art history and contributes to the advancement of this long-forgottenschool."
The Indochina School of Fine Arts (L'Ecole Superieure des Beaux-Artsd'Indochine) was founded in 1924 by the first French principal Victor Tardieuand his Vietnamese colleague artist Nguyen Nam Son.
The school opened admissions with the first class in 1925. The curriculumdeveloped over the years, expanding from oil on canvas to sculpture andlacquer, and from fine arts to architecture and decorative arts.
Besides Tardieu, the school also included permanent staff like JosephInguimberty, Alix Aymé and Évariste Jonchère, who succeeded Tardieu asprincipal upon his passing in 1937. It closed down when the Japanese occupiedthe country in 1945.
During its 20 years of existence, the school launched numerous artist-pioneerslike Le Pho, Mai Trung Thu, Vu Cao Dam, To Ngoc Van, Nguyen Tuong Van, andothers.
The book recounts the highlights between 1925 and 1945, and describes theexhibitions organised in Hanoi, Saigon and Paris, as well as how they werereceived by the critics.
It includes 319 illustrations and 28 biographies of students and teachers, aswell as multipal archive documents. The author also opens the doors of numerousprivate collections and museum reserves.
From teachers and students like Inguimberty, Ayme, Dam , Thu andPho, they drew, painted, sculpted, worked with lacquer, and exhibited.
Directed by Tardieu and then Jonchere, the school experienced rich artisticemulation during the 1925-45, at the origin of the revival of modern Vietnameseart.
In the book Reynier sets out to explain the decisive stages that led to theemergence of the artistic elite envisioned by Tardieu and sheds light on themany grey areas that until now have masked the richness and artistic importanceof this period in Indochina.
"The book provides many documents that we have never seen before,"said fine arts researcher Ngo Kim Khoi, artist Nam Son's maternal grandchild.
"France has very good archives and I hope Reynier's research will help usbetter understand fine art that we did not know well before."
The book provides missing pieces of the 100-year history of the school,according to fine arts researcher Nguyen Hai Yen.
"The author has chances to meet the artists' families in France includingLe Pho, Mai Trung Thu, Vu Cao Dam and Le Thi Luu," she said.
Reynier, an expert in Asian modern art has been president of the Asian Artistsin Paris Association (AAP) since 2019. She works with the association tohighlight and document various facets of Asian modern arts, and moreparticularly to list the master works of artists Thu, Pho and Dam.
She has spent the last ten years focusing on the works of artists with dualtraining in Vietnam/France and China/France. Since 2013, she has paidparticular attention to promoting the works of Asian artists.
The book launching ceremony was held by the French Institute of Hanoi, the VietnamFine Arts University and the Viet Art View Company.
The book will be distributed in February at a price of 75 EUR, tax included, inFrance. It can be purchased online at https://infine-editions.fr/publications/lart-moderne-en-indochine/./.
VNA