ALIX AYMÉ (1894-1989). The snack, circa 1940. Ink, watercolor and gouache on silk, signed lower right and titled on the back. The work is presented in the passe- partout with gold highlights painted under glass by the artist. 50 × 75.5 cm PROVENANCE: Provenance Private collection, South-East of France.
Alix Aymé is an extremely multi-talented artist. She had lived an experiential life from Europe to Asia. From France (her homeland), China, Vietnam, Laos where she lived; to Japan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka where she went to visit. Each place gave her rich materials for her creations.
She had many valuable qualities of an artistic creator. Her talent through each period, in each medium, and each visual style has achievements. In her massive career, spanning her entire life, she created thousands of paintings on media such as oil, silk, lacquer…
With silk and oil, she has excellent works. In particular, she was creative and skillfully used traditional Eastern lacquer medium in the construction for painting works.
The image of Vietnamese woman characters in Alix’s paintings is very rich. The subject revolves the daily life of Vietnamese women, such as labor, rest, nude. Portraits of girls, young women, mothers and children… all depict the bold characters of Vietnamese scenes and people.
Afternoon tea. Lacquer. Circa 1935-1940. 50×69 cm. Source: Aguttes.
In the theme of rest and relaxation, Alix Aymé drew inspiration from 18th century European “afternoon teas”; from the “snack” before dinner time of Vietnamese people… to build the context.
On June 2, 2023, at Aguttes, the silk painting “Le goûter – Afternoon Tea/Snack”, silk, 50×75.5cm, circa 1940, will be auctioned. The picture depicts two Annamese girls with the image of “lazy and contemplative while resting” next to a window with a white and red chiffon curtain. On the table are tea (café), bananas, flowers… that we often see in the theme of rest in Alix’s paintings.
A special feature in the silk painting “Le goûter” is the frame made by Alix herself. It is made of glass, has color patterns, is painted with physical gold… According to Phạm Hoàng Việt: “Did Alix use the technique of painting under the glass with a mixture of many media – such as the technique of glass painting of Chinese? This technique could be learned by French artists in schools.”
Phạm Hoàng Việt added: “In the process of observing the market for auctioned works of artists in Europe, I have seen that the table is priced quite high at 40,000 – 60,000 EUR of Takis (Panayiotis Vassilakisc, Greece, 1925-2019) painted under glass with a mixture of media: soot, glass, marble and metal shavings…”
Only a silk painting with a selfmade frame that Alix used physical gold to paint with the same color on glass, a combination of Eastern silk, Western shaping, Vietnamese women themes… we can see that the diversity and style are rich with flexible combinations in the use of media from language to materials of Alix.
In addition to this silk painting, Alix also made “Le goûter”, circa 1935-1940 (AlixAyme.com), in lacquer.
In the article “Alix Aymé”, author Phạm Lê describes Alix Aymé’s recollections of this period: “From about 1930, through the study of lacquer processes and techniques at Hanoi School of Fine Arts, helped bring new life to lacquer art in Indochina. This beautiful and pure medium captivates the artist…”
… This was the time “It can be certain that Alix taught at the school in the years 1935 – 1937 because in the Indochina Administrative Yearbook, her name is listed in the section of Indochina University in 1935 (at that time the Indochina Fine Arts College was still a part of Indochina University) and the School of Fine Arts in 1936 and 1937.”
Since 1931, she had lived in Vietnam and was happy with her second husband, Lieutenant Colonel Georges Aymé (older brother of the famous writer Marcel Aymé, author of “ The Man Who Could Walk through Walls”). Since then the art world knew her as Alix Aymé. This was the period of her vigorous creation when she began to explore the medium of lacquer.
Thus, it can be seen that Alix is one of the pioneering lacquer artists who fully comprehended media from Europe to Asia. Every medium made her passionate, research and achieve.
The same theme on two different media is also an interesting fact for art lovers to compare because each medium has its own language and beauty. Especially when she is the only European woman painter working and painting in Việt Nam, in lacquer and silk. Two well-loved typical media of Vietnam Fine Arts.
In the past 5-7 years, her works have steadily increased in price, especially after the media published her works and biography. Her paintings are increasingly popular in auctions.
With a self-made glass frame, very special in combining European and Asian techniques, Aguttes auction house sets a starting price of 80-120k EUR for “Le goûter”. Because just one difference makes the painting much more valuable…
The “creativity, novelty, originality” are the core values that creat art history, artistic value and many value added later…
The snack. 1935. Oil. 73×92 cm. Source: Aguttes.
Gladiolus. 1935. Oil. 79.5×62 cm. Source: Aguttes.
Written by Viet Art View
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