signed and dated upper right and affixed with a sticker numbered 44B on the lower left of the frame glazing
gouache on newsprint
53 x 76 cm, 81 x 103.5 cm (framed)
Provenance
Ex-collection Ha Thuc Can
Private Collection, Singapore
Literature
100 Years of Contemporary Paintings from Vietnam. Vietnam: Dong Son Editions, 1994. Illustrated on pg 44.
Condition
Painting appears to be in pristine condition commensurate with age. Gouache and newsprint layers looks in original and clean condition. Nothing shows up under UV light.
Lot location
Bangkok, Thailand. On display at 333 Gallery.
The Theatre of Everyday Life
Born in 1920 in Kim Hoang, Bui Xuan Phai emerged as one of the most revered figures in modern Vietnamese art. A graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine, Phai navigated the profound political and cultural transformations of 20th-century Vietnam. While celebrated for his melancholic depictions of Hanoi’s old streets (“Phố Phái”), his fascination with the human spirit found equally powerful expression in his paintings of Chèo, traditional Vietnamese folk opera.
Backstage Cheo Theatre offers a rare, intimate glimpse into the hidden world of these performers. Rendered in gouache on newsprint — a humble medium reflecting the economic hardships of the era — the work captures the quiet intensity of actors preparing for the stage. Phai, who often wandered Hanoi’s theatres with scraps of paper to document fleeting moments, brings palpable spontaneity to the scene.
Fusing the expressive contours of European modernists like Matisse and Chagall with a deeply Vietnamese sensibility, Phai transcends mere documentation. Through his subdued palette and masterful economy of line, Backstage Cheo Theatre distils the quiet drama of anticipation, cementing Phai’s legacy as an artist who painted not just what he saw, but the very soul of his nation.
