(Photo: daibieunhandan.vn)

On July 11, at Park Hyatt Saigon, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Sotheby's will open the exhibition Timeless Souls: beyond the Voyage (Hồn xưa bến lạ). This event not only marks the milestone as the first exhibition in Vietnam organized by an international auction house, but also one of the large-scale Indochina painting exhibitions here.

Woman with fan, by Le Pho. (Photo: NLDO)

The exhibition will feature more than 50 works of four famous painters who graduated from the first courses of the Indochina Fine Arts School (École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine - EBAI): Le Thi Luu (1911 - 1988), Le Pho (1907 - 2001), Mai Trung Thu (1906 - 1980) and Vu Cao Dam (1908 - 2000).

Les Musiciennes by Vu Cao Dam. (Photo: NLDO)

Sotheby’s wrote on their website: “The famous quartet migrated to France in the 1930s – 1940s and often channeled a sense of nostalgia for Vietnam in their art, which they continued to produce and develop in a new European context.

From memory, the artists would include elements of Vietnamese life and culture within their subject matter. Depicting plants and landscapes, families and rituals, culture and architecture, Le Thi Luu, Le Pho, Mai Trung Thu, and Vu Cao Dam achieved universally appealing visual styles that weaved intricate threads of their Vietnamese roots”.

Le petit pêcheur du lac (Child Fishing by The Lake) by Mai Trung Thu. (Photo: NLDO)

Curated by independent art researcher Ace Le, the selected works illustrate different periods and styles of each artist’s oeuvre.

Maternite (Maternity) by Le Pho. (Photo: NLDO)

Regarding the name of the exhibition, Sotheby’s said that the word “Hồn” in Vietnamese, "soul" in English, signifies a person’s spirit, the sentiments of a culture or people, and the soul of a painting.

The title of the exhibition “Timeless Souls: Beyond the Voyage – Hồn Xưa Bến Lạ”, thus celebrates the timeliness quality of the artists’ works that preserved the essence of the Vietnamese spirit despite their life-long voyages abroad.

The result of their practice is a sublime harmony between traditional Vietnamese culture and values, with the innovations of Western aesthetics and post-impressionist movements.

Le Retour (The Return) by Vu Cao Dam. (Photo: NLDO)

Alongside the fast-growing interest in Vietnamese art amongst institutions and the collecting community, Sotheby’s shares a commitment to seeing continued strength in the markets in Southeast Asia. This unique event will share Sotheby’s unique experience and expertise as an international auction house with new and established audiences in Vietnam.

A painting by Vu Cao Dam. (Photo: NLDO)

Exhibition Details

Guest Curator: Ace Le

Opening time: 11-14 July 2022

11 July (4:30 pm – 7 pm)

12-14 July (11 am – 8 pm)

Location: Park Hyatt Saigon, 2 Lam Son Square, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

A painting by Mai Trung Thu. (Photo: NLDO)

Fillette aux nattes avec son panier de fleurs by Le Thi Luu. (Photo: NLDO)

A painting of Vietnamese woman by Le Pho. (Photo: NLDO)

A painting of Co Loa Citadel by Le Pho. (Photo: NLDO)

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