King Ham Nghi's paintings to be displayed in Hue

'Canh Dong Lua Mi' (The Wheat Field) was painted by King Ham Nghi in 1913. (Photo courtesy of Lynda Trouvé)

Hue - Paintings by King Ham Nghi will be displayed this month for the first time at an exhibition in the ancient royal capital city of Hue.

The Hue Monuments Conservation Centre has announced that the exhibit will take place at Kien Trung Palace in the Hue Royal Palace Heritage Site from March 25 to April 6, in conjunction with the French Institute in Vietnam and Art Republik magazine.

The display is part of a series of cultural activities to mark the opening of National Tourism Year 2025 and the 50th anniversary of Hue Liberation Day, which falls on March 26.

With the theme 'Troi, Non, Nuoc | Allusive Panorama' (Sky, Mountain, Water | Allusive Panorama), the exhibition -- the largest one to show King Ham Nghi’s paintings in Vietnam -- will present more than 20 pieces he created during his exile.

The works are gathered from 10 private collections, and have been repatriated, appraised, preserved and restored by leading experts.

They have been co-curated by art researcher Ace Le and Amandine Dabat, PhD, who is the fifth generation descendant of Ham Nghi, an emperor of the Nguyen dynasty who reigned for only one year before being captured and exiled to Algeria in 1886 because of his opposition to the French colonial rule.

Hoang Viet Trung, director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, said the exhibition will help preserve and promote the nation's cultural identity and will also help younger generations better understand the country's history and culture, thereby raising awareness of the preservation and promotion of heritage.

The exhibit will also uphold the reputation of the ancient capital city of Hue as a cultural centre in the "historical flow" of Vietnam, according to Trung.

It is an opportunity for foreign and Vietnamese art lovers to admire the paintings by King Ham Nghi, who was one of the first two Vietnamese artists to paint in the modern art style.

Meanwhile, curator Ace Le said King Ham Nghi's paintings uniquely combine his artistic talent and love for the country.

Through his art, he expressed his nostalgia for his homeland. His paintings also contain a 'hidden resistance' to oppression during his exile, Le said.

The exhibition will be open to visitors from 7.30am to 5.30pm every day from March 25 to April 6.

Viewers will not only be able to admire the valuable artwork, but will also have the opportunity to interact with the curators and experts to learn more about the process of repatriating King Ham Nghi's paintings to Vietnam.

Previously, during a visit to Vietnam in November 2024, Dabat surveyed the heritage relic site in Hue, ultimately choosing Kien Trung Palace as the space for the exhibition.

The palace is a recently restored relic with historical significance and a unique architectural style, suitable for the exhibition of the former emperor's paintings.

Also in November last year, Dabat donated the artwork Hillsides in Deli Ibrahim (Algiers) by the emperor to the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts.

The oil painting, created by the emperor in exile in 1908, depicts a countryside scene near his home in Algiers.

The artwork shows a sunset landscape. Using a dot painting style influenced by French painters of the late 19th century, Ham Nghi made the vibrant colours of the evening come alive.

In 1926, the painting was exhibited at the Mantelet-Colette Weil Gallery in Paris under the name Tu Xuan.

Dabat has also released a book, titled Ham Nghi – Empereur en exil, artiste à Alger (Ham Nghi: Emperor in Exile – Artist in Algiers) based on her doctoral thesis about the emperor's artistic career.

The publication contains over 70 pages of fine artworks, including pages of sculptures, documentary photos and letters./.