450 - Joseph INGUIMBERTY (1896–1971)

Joseph INGUIMBERTY (1896–1971) Professor of decorative arts at the Indochina School of Fine Arts. The Three Graces. Circa 1938. Framed oil on canvas, signed lower left. H. 150 cm - W. 150 cm Provenance: the artist’s family. This large-format work serves as a sort of culmination of the many variations the artist explored around the academic themes of The Three Graces and The Conversation. Three young Tonkinese women in áo dài are sharing a pineapple, the focal point of the composition; the young woman in the center is seated in a hammock in front of a drapery. The three models pose in the quiet atmosphere of the studio, recognizable by the bench and the fabric with large floral patterns on a red background. Even the ao dai with black checks on a cream background, which Inguimberty reuses, reminds us that we are in a scene staged in the studio. In other variations, the young women in traditional dress exchange an offering box, a lotus flower, or even a pineapple—as seen here—symbols of immortality and prosperity. The subject serves as a pretext for tirelessly capturing the delicacy of their gestures and their graceful demeanor. Pierre Gourou, a journalist and geographer, in his article on the 1937 exhibition at the Charpentier Gallery, praises the special attention—imbued with delicacy and love—that Inguimberty lavishes on his Tonkinese models (*Revue le Monde colonial*, January 1937). Bibliography: Giuilia Pentcheff. *Joseph Inguimberty*, first catalog of his paintings. A small-format variation of this work, titled *Conversation*, is reproduced on page 108 and on the cover of the book.