PHẠM QUANG HẬU (1903-1994) Lot n° 13

Cerf et biches en sous-bois, Moyenne Région, Tonkin, circa 1935-1940 Lacquer with gold highlights, signed lower right 130 x 80,6 cm - 51 1/8 x 31 3/4 in. Made in Tonkin, the northern part of present-day Vietnam, this lacquer depicts two hinds and a deer, in a lushly vegetated landscape. The artist’s sensitivity is perfectly expressed by his meticulousness and attention to detail, demonstrated by great technical mastery. The abundant vegetation, made up of banana leaves, palms and other shrubs, underlines the tropical nature of Vietnam. Through the representation of this luxuriance, Phạm Quang Hậu recalls the prosperity and natural wealth of his country and the beauty of its landscapes, eternal sources of inspiration. Born in 1903 in the village of Đông Ngạc in Ha Dong province in a poor family, Phạm Quang Hậu lost his parents at the age of 10. Although his siblings tried to provide for him, his childhood was marked by a very precarious situation. His marriage in 1926 with Phạm Thị Chuyên the daughter of a wealthy family, enabled him to meet the painter Nam Sơn. He made him want to enter the Indochina School of Fine Arts, joining the 5th class from 1929-1934. During these years of apprenticeship, he discovered and deepened the technique of lacquer. Supported by his teacher Joseph Inguimberty and helped by his classmates such as Lê Phổ and Trần Văn Cẩn, Phạm Quang Hậu renewed this ancestral craftsmanship. He experimented the addition of new pigments and new materials which allowed him to produce more layers and create new effects. After graduating in 1934, Phạm Quang Hậu returned to his native village where he continued to produce paintings, objects and lacquered furniture. With the help of Victor Tardieu, the artist obtained an order for 50 lacquered cigarette cases marked by the Art Nouveau and Art Deco taste very much appreciated in France. He found success, and in front of the increase of orders Phạm Quang Hậu recruited apprentices. His talent was rewarded on several occasions by many organizations, including the SADEAI (Society to encourage art and industry) in Hanoi, which awarded him the gold medal in 1935 and the First Certificate in 1936. His fame is such that his biography can be read in the Vietnamese Who’s who in 1943, which lists only two other painters. Attached to the promotion and spreading of his country’s craftsmanship, he created in 1949 the National School of Handicrafts, the first university of art in the country and still active today under the name of University of Industrial Fine Art. In addition to his teaching, the high quality of his lacquerware has led him to exhibit in many countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and North Korea. His unique style based on the ancestral technique of lacquer but enriched by new contributions makes the artist one of the best ambassadors of Vietnamese art. Mainly inspired by the representation of landscapes and forests but also of animals, his lacquers are collected by European collectors and Vietnamese amateurs.