An Exiled Emperor’s Paintings Are Now On View In Hanoi

“Trời, Non, Nước | Allusive Panorama” is a non-commercial exhibition showcasing 20 paintings by Emperor Hàm Nghi at the Temple of Literature.

Organised by Art Nation in collaboration with the Institut Français du Vietnam and the Văn Miếu – Quốc Tử Giám Cultural and Scientific Centre, the exhibition will run until May 10, 2026. It is co-curated by art researcher Ace Lê and Dr Amandine Dabat, a fifth-generation descendant of Emperor Hàm Nghi.

Following its landmark success at Kien Trung Palace, Hue Citadel in March 2025, which welcomed over 110,000 visitors. “Trời, Non, Nước | Allusive Panorama” continues its journey to the capital. From 24 April to 10 May 2026, Art Nation, in collaboration with the Institut Français du Vietnam and the Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam Cultural and Scientific Centre, will present the exhibition's second leg at the historic Temple of Literature (Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam) in Hanoi. Curated to international standards, “Allusive Panorama” is the first major retrospective of Emperor Ham Nghi’s artworks to be staged in the capital.

“Emperor Ham Nghi (1871–1944) is well regarded as our national hero, who had issued the Can Vuong edict before being captured by the colonialist French and put to exile in Algeria until his last days. However, art historically, his role has not been properly recognised until recently. Few are aware that Ham Nghi was the first Vietnamese painter to have received training under Western academia, precursoring the Indochine art movement, which was the beginning of Vietnamese modern art.” – Curator Ace Le.

During his exile in Algeria, Emperor Ham Nghi constantly nurtured a silent dream of returning home, turning to painting as a way to express his inner thoughts: “These works [...] are, so to speak, an integral part of my life; I read on my canvases: the vicissitudes of my sad thoughts, my joy and their thousand nuances, and I smooth over all the folds of my heart, one by one, and it is for me a source from which I draw: both encouragement and consolation.” – Draft of a letter from Ham Nghi to Colonel de Gondrecourt, 1 January 1897. BHN 4.14, FHN, excerpted from the research of Dr Amandine Dabat.