Impressions of King Ham Nghi's paintings introduced for the first time in Hue Imperial City

Not only opening the door to the public to the exiled emperor's painting legacy, the exhibition is also a dialogue between the past and the present, where colors and lines revive an artist's soul in the flow of history. In particular, for the first time, 21 precious paintings of King Ham Nghi are gathered from 10 private collections, displayed this time is the result of a journey of more than a year of tirelessly following the traces of time, searching, confirming, appraising, and strictly restoring according to international standards from curator Ace Le and Lan Tinh Foundation, in collaboration with Dr. Amandine Dabat - 5th generation descendant of King Ham Nghi, along with many leading art units and partners at home and abroad.

The exhibition attracted a large number of people and tourists.

Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, shared that each painting opens a piece of the inner world of King Ham Nghi, such as Vue de la résidence d'El Biar (View of the residence in El Biar) depicting the place where he used to live in Alger, a peaceful corner in the midst of exile. Landscape with cypress trees (Menthon-Saint-Bernard) (1906) is an image of a French countryside, where he visited during his travels, expressing the intersection between reality and nostalgia for his homeland. Meanwhile, Forest bank (Lake Geneva) (1920) has a quiet tone, with rich colors evoking the artist's mood before the vastness of nature...

“The retrospective of artworks created by King Ham Nghi at Kien Trung Palace is not only an emotional reunion between art and history, but also a profound tribute to the exiled king who never lost his homeland. Hopefully, the exhibition will help the public better understand the life and art of the patriotic king,” said Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center.

Dr. Amandine Dabat - 5th generation descendant of King Ham Nghi introduces works displayed at the exhibition

The exhibition not only marks an important milestone in the journey of heritage preservation, but also serves as a cultural bridge between France and Vietnam; a vivid demonstration of the close cooperation between the two countries in the cultural field.

Mr. Franck Bolgiani, Cultural Attaché of the French Embassy, Director of the French Institute in Hanoi and Deputy Director of the French Institute in Vietnam, expressed his enthusiasm for future cultural cooperation: “King Ham Nghi was not only an emperor but also one of the first Vietnamese artists to be formally trained in Western painting. By combining French academic techniques with a deep love for nature and his homeland's culture, he created extremely unique works, full of emotion and imbued with nostalgia. Each landscape painting is a subtle narrative about loneliness, resistance and the beauty of the Vietnamese soul. Through this exhibition, we have the opportunity to admire the artistic language of an emperor who, even in exile, knew how to revive the memories and culture of his homeland.”

The exhibition lasts until April 6, with an expected number of visitors from 8,000 to 10,000 people per day.

Some paintings of King Ham Nghi are introduced for the first time at Hue Imperial City.

Also within the framework of the exhibition opening ceremony, Art Republik magazine introduced issue 7 with the theme “Vision from the Midpoint”. Art Republik issue 7 brings new, multi-dimensional perspectives on painting and art, focusing on the journey of searching, curating and creating a unique art space for King Ham Nghi’s painting exhibition “Sky, Mountain, Water | Allusive Panorama”.

Sharing more about King Ham Nghi's painting talent, curator - art researcher Ace Le, who is also the Editor-in-Chief of Art Republik magazine, said: "Ham Nghi's paintings are a unique combination of artistic talent and love for the country, where he expressed his nostalgia for his homeland and also contained a hidden resistance to the oppression during his exile. The former king painted landscapes but actually painted love, both personal and public love. This is the reason I decided to title "Heaven, Mountains, Water | Allusive Panorama” for the exhibition, inspired by the poem of Ba Huyen Thanh Quan. Ham Nghi is a pioneer and typical example of the Asian-European art exchange approach, absorbing without dissolving, still holding high the flag of identity in its own way. In the Western and market-oriented economy, Ham Nghi and his works have been covered in dust for a long time, and now it is time for us to retell the story in our own language and perspective, as the king did more than a century ago.

Taking the pen name Tu Xuan - “Son of Spring,” King Ham Nghi has confided in his art his nostalgia for his homeland and his desire to transcend time. Over the past 15 years, King Ham Nghi’s paintings have appeared on the French art market, mainly from private collections, descendants of friends to whom he had given paintings. It was from here that Vietnamese collectors began to discover and bring his paintings back.

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