Painting of Emperor Ham Nghi Presented to Museum of Fine Arts

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The painting “Hillsides of Deli Ibrahim (Algiers)” is donated on behalf of Emperor Ham Nghi’s family to the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum by Dr. Amandine Dabat, the 5th generation descendant of Emperor Ham Nghi.

This is a priceless gift and a noble gesture for the Museum, not only adding to and enriching the collection of the Fine Arts Museum, but also being a valuable source of material of the modern and contemporary Vietnamese art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for art history researchers.

The ceremony of receiving the painting of Emperor Ham Nghi "Hillsides of Deli Ibrahim (Algiers)". (Photo: qdnd.vn)

The oil painting was created in 1908, depicting the countryside landscapes near his home in Algiers. Commenting on the painting, Nora Taylor, Dr. of Art History wrote: “The landscape of Algiers in Ham Nghi’s painting is seen as a connection to one’s roots as a person longing to return to his homeland.”

Speaking at the reception ceremony, Dr. Nguyen Anh Minh, Director of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum emphasized that the display of the painting is of great significance to the Museum and to Vietnamese fine arts in general.

“We appreciate the gesture of Emperor Ham Nghi's family in repatriating the patriotic Emperor's painting, and value the kind-hearted people who donated this work of art to the Museum. On this occasion, we hope to receive further support from families of painters, researchers, collectors, and businesses, so that more and more valuable works of art from Vietnam abroad will return to the homeland and the Vietnamese public can enjoy the works of art created by our ancestors", said Minh.

Dr. Amandine Dabat said that Emperor Ham Nghi became a painter and sculptor during his exile in Alger (also known as Algiers, the capital of Algeria). Since 1889, his first works had made him the first modern painter of Vietnam. Dabat devoted to researching his life and career in her doctoral thesis, which has now been translated and published in Vietnamese, and officially putting his name in the history of Vietnamese art. This painting is one of the important works illustrating Ham Nghi's studies of art.

Oil painting “Hillsides of Deli Ibrahim (Algiers)”. (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Emperor Ham Nghi (1871-1944), personal name Nguyen Phuc Minh, courtesy name Ung Lich, came to the throne in 1884, was a patriotic of the Nguyen Dynasty. In 1885, he issued the Can Vuong Edict, calling for patriots to rise up to gain independence and freedom from the French. In 1888, he was arrested by the French colonialists and exiled to Algiers.

During his exile, he studied painting and sculpture with masters such as painter Marius Reynaud, sculptor Léon Fourquet and Auguste Rodin. He created many art works with feelings for the homeland and exhibited them in galleries in Paris (France). He left behind an artistic legacy of 91 paintings and other sculptures. Many of his works become well-known to the art world through auctions and exhibitions in France.

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