(Interesting story found when Viet Art View was completing the profile for the work Village lane created by Professor Joseph Inguimberty)
When visiting Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum, the rooms displaying artworks of artists from Indochina Fine Arts College always receive love and attention from the public.
In room number 9, the silk painting titled Lady by the sofa, 1934, silk, 96×35.5 cm by artist Lê Văn Đệ is admired and photographed a lot. The painting depicts a beautiful, noble woman with a fresh face, dressed in an elegant áo dài of Lemur. Surely some viewers wondered about the identity of the beauty in the painting.
LÊ VĂN ĐỆ (1906-1966), ‘Lady by the sofa’,
1935. Silk. 96×35,5 cm.
On the occasion of searching for historical information about the oil painting Village lane created by Professor Joseph Inguimberty, Viet Art View discovered interesting details surrounding these two rare works of art. Because they used to belong to the same art collection.
The model in Lady by the sofa is Ms Nguyễn Thị Bính (1911 – ?), wife of Mr Hoàng Xuân Hãn (1908-1996) – a famous scholar, author of ‘La Sơn Phu Tử’, ‘Chinh phụ ngâm bi khảo’. Ms Nguyễn Thị Bính was a intellectual lady, she had a first class pharmacist degree at the University of Pharmacy (Paris – France), she was the owner of the famous pharmacy “Pharmaice Hoàng Xuân Hãn” on Tràng Thi street.
In 1951, the couple went to Paris. After 1954, the country’s situation changed, Mr and Ms Hoàng Xuân Hãn did not return to Việt Nam and donating the entire pharmacy and assets to the Government.
Maybe after that, the paintings also left the family collection. Among them are the painting ‘Lady by the sofa’ of Lê Văn Đệ and the painting ‘Village lane’ of Joseph Inguimberty.
It suggests that in addition to the above two paintings, the family of Professor Hoàng Xuân Hãn may have had other works of art.
According to documents, the painting of Madame Bính was purchased by Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum from Mr Nguyễn Xuân Lâm (an art dealer in Hà Nội), house number 34, Cửa Nam street in 1962 for 150 VND.
Also from the collection of Mr Nguyễn Xuân Lâm, Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum purchased the painting To the fields by Nguyễn Phan Chánh; Woman sitting by Trần Phúc Duyên; Young woman by Hoàng Lập Ngôn…
This is similar to some precious works of Vietnamese fine arts such as Little Thúy by Trần Văn Cẩn purchased from Mr Đỗ Huân at his house on Nguyễn Thái Học street; Two young women and a baby by Tô Ngọc Vân was purchased from Mr Trần Văn Niết at his house on Sinh Từ street.
There will be interesting stories surrounding the construction of historical records for precious works of famous Vietnamese artists. Viet Art View would like to gradually share with art lovers.
Madame Nguyễn Thị Bính, wife of
scholar Hoàng Xuân Hãn
Photo from the article “Madame Nguyễn Thị Bính,
an intellectual lady” by author Kiều Mai Sơn.
Professor Hoàng Xuân Hãn and his wife talking to director
Trần Văn Thủy (Paris, November 1989).
Photo from the article “Madame Nguyễn Thị Bính,
an intellectual lady” by author Kiều Mai Sơn.
Written by VIET ART VIEW
Copyrights belong to Viet Art View
