NGUYEN VAN TY (1917-1992). - Lot 213

NGUYEN VAN TY (1917-1992). École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine, Class of 1941. Catba Island - Jonques in Along Bay. Six-panel polychrome and gold lacquered wood screen signed lower right and dated in Roman numerals 1944. Dimensions per panel: 100x32.5 cm. Total dimensions: 100x195 cm. (Very good condition, with minor wear and tear). Provenance: Acquired by Mr. L, pilot of the Haiphong station, stationed between 1952 and 1955 for 5,000 piasters from Ets Hu'ng - Loi, 44 boulevard de l'Amiral Courbet in Haïphong on February 3, 1955. In the family by descent. The original purchase invoice will be attached to the folding screen and issued to the buyer. Nguyen Van Ty's work is inseparable from the panoramic landscapes of Tonkin. In contact with Joseph Inguimberty, who became head of the painting section at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine in 1925, and then of the lacquer section, which he created alongside Alix Aymé in 1934, the young artist specialized in the creation of sumptuous folding screens, sometimes taking as their theme the Cho Bo waterfalls, sometimes the enchanting landscapes of Along Bay. In this case, the famous island of Cat Ba, lined with Jonques, where only a few boatmen come to life in the shadow of cliffs standing out against a golden sky. Finely incised, undulating, stylized ripples suggest the movement of the water, reflected in the golden sky above. Along with Pham Hau, Nguyen Gia Tri and Nguyen Khang, Nguyen Van Ty belongs to the generation of Vietnam's greatest master lacquerers. During the Indochina war (1946-1954), Nguyen Van Ty became a teacher in the Resistance classes at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Once peace had returned, he settled permanently in Hanoi and became Professor at the North Vietnamese School of Fine Arts, a position he held until 1969. He was also appointed first Secretary General of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association from 1957 to 1958.