Exhibition of King Ham Nghi’s Paintings in Hue “ALLUSIVE PANORAMA / TRỜI, NON, NƯỚC”
- Time: 2 weeks, from March 25, 2025
- Location: Kien Trung Palace, Hue Imperial City
According to the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, the largest-ever exhibition of King Ham Nghi’s paintings in Vietnam will be held at Kien Trung Palace within the Hue Imperial City.
This non-commercial exhibition will feature original oil landscape paintings created by King Ham Nghi during his years in exile. The exhibition is co-curated by art researcher Ace Lê and Dr. Amandine Dabat, the fifth-generation descendant of King Ham Nghi. It will take place at Kien Trung Palace (Hue Imperial City) for two weeks, starting from March 25, 2025, and will be open to all visitors to the Hue Imperial City.
With the theme "Allusive Panorama / Trời, Non, Nước", the exhibition is organized by Art Republik Vietnam in collaboration with the Hue Monuments Conservation Center and the French Institute in Vietnam. It will showcase over 20 artworks gathered from 10 private collections. These works have been repatriated, authenticated, preserved, and restored by leading experts and co-curated by Ace Lê and Dr. Amandine Dabat.
Curator Ace Lê remarked:
“The public knows King Ham Nghi as a national hero, the author of the Cần Vương proclamation, who sought to reclaim sovereignty from French colonizers. However, few are aware that he was also one of the first two Vietnamese artists (alongside Lê Văn Miến) to be trained in Western academic art methods. For this reason, he can be considered a pioneer at the dawn of modern Vietnamese fine arts.”
This is the second retrospective exhibition of King Ham Nghi's artworks and marks the largest showcase ever held in Vietnam. It is particularly meaningful as the paintings are displayed in the historic Kien Trung Palace, a former royal residence of the Nguyen Dynasty. This venue symbolizes a homecoming and a tribute from future generations to a patriotic king.
The exhibition coincides with a series of major cultural events in Hue:
- National Tourism Year 2025
- Hue Festival 2025
- 50th Anniversary of Thua Thien Hue’s Liberation (March 26, 1975 – March 26, 2025)
- Celebration of Hue’s elevation to a centrally governed city
This grand occasion not only honors the artistic legacy of King Ham Nghi but also commemorates Hue’s cultural and historical significance on the national and global stage.