View of a village, 1942

View of a village, 1942 Six-leaf polychrome lacquered wood screen
Signed and dated lower right
100 x 200 cm (total)

LE QUOC LOC (1918-1987)
Born in 1918, in Hưng Yên, Tonkin. He was one of the first modern Vietnamese fine art painters. He graduated in 1942 from the Hanoi School of Fine Arts, specializing in the technique and art of lacquer.
His works evoke the lyrical poetry of nature. And they reveal, with refinement, various aspects of Vietnamese culture. Known and regarded as one of Vietnam’s great master lacquerers today, our screen bears witness to the extraordinary skill of the master lacquerers of the time.

This exceptional folding screen comes from a private collection in the South of France. It was acquired by the current owner’s grandmother, who lived in Hanoi in the 1940s. Through her “Martine” haute-couture store, located in the heart of the city, she frequented and integrated the intellectual and artistic sphere of her time. An art lover and enlightened collector, she bought pieces of furniture and objets d’art to tastefully decorate her two residences in Hanoi and Tam Dao, supporting young artists in the process. In 1951, she left Hanoi for Bordeaux, leaving behind a large part of her collection, which was looked after by nuns. It was only three years later, after her death in 1953, that the objects were brought back to Bordeaux.