ALIX AYMÉ (1894-1989), “MARKET SCENE IN HÀ NỘI”

Born in Paris in 1894, young Alix Aymé apprenticed under the guidance of the symbolist painter and member of the Nabis group Maurice Denis, who would be her role model throughout her long career. In 1920, she followed her husband, Paul de Fautereau-Vassel, a literature teacher, to Shanghai, and then to Hà Nội. The successive moves ignited in her a genuine passion for the cultures of Asian countries. During her twenty years on the Asian continent, Alix Aymé used her free time to travel to different countries. In parallel with her travels, she taught art first at the French Lycée in Hà Nội (between 1925 and 1926), then, after her remarriage to Colonel Georges Aymé, she joined the teaching staff at Indochina Fine Arts College in 1934, alongside Joseph Inguimberty.

In the painting “Market scene in Hà Nội”, the artist once again explored a theme that was dear to her: A market scene in Việt Nam. Indeed, this theme was painted many times in each of the Asian countries she visited, especially in the years 1928-1930. This theme gave her the opportunity to rediscover the human figure, here the images of women and children, as well as the colorful toys that the market stalls offered.

ALIX AYMÉ (1894-1989)
“Market scene in Hà Nội”, circa 1930
Oil
Signed in the lower right corner
48 × 60 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Lyon, purchased by Angenot family on a fair in Hà Nội, most likely in 1938