Vũ Cao Đàm

The family situation being satisfactory, Vu Cao Dam’s father went to school at a very tender age and since early childhood became proficient at Chinese calligraphy.

His main teachers were: Victor Tardieu for painting, Joseph Inguimberty for decoration, Batteur for architecture, Dr Phénix for anatomy, and Goloubew for medicine.

Not only did he teach painting and the means to succeed in that field, but he wanted to insure for his pupils the best possible material conditions so they could accomplish their work in utmost serenity.

This journey to France would be a significant turning point in his life, as Vu Cao Dam would never return to his homeland of Vietnam.

Vu Cao Dam settled at the Cite Universitaire in Paris, and was soon invited to participate in the 1931 Exposition Coloniale Internationale at the Angkor Wat Pavilion by its art director, his old mentor Victor Tardieu.

He made great discoveries in the works of Renoir, Van Gogh, Bonnard, and Matisse, as well as the sculptural creations of Rodin, Despiau and Giacometti.

When World War II broke out, Vu Cao Dam was forced to interrupt his work in bronze casting, as all metal was claimed by the German army occupying France.

Vu Cao Dam was not only influenced by Chagall and the other members of the École de Paris, but by the art brut artists as well, including Dubuffet and Malaval.

[5] Filling his shop on the Rue de Chateauneuf in Nice with over 450 paintings and drawings by different artists, the Italian immigrant exchanged tailored suits for these artworks.

In 1960, Vu Cao Dam exhibited his paintings in London at the Frost & Reed Gallery, and three years later his work was presented in Brussels.