Borned in Viet Nam on August 2, 1907. He was tenth child in a family of twenty fathered by the senior mandarin Le Hoan. Because of his father's status he received a cultured education, including training in brush painting.
Le Pho, at age 18 became a member of the first class of students to attend the French sponsored Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Hanoi in 1925. The Hanoi ecole was directed by Victor Tardieu who had been a classmate of Henri Matisse in the Atelier Moreau.
1930-1936 jointed in all exhibitions of SADEAI.
1930 left for Paris, where he studied painting for two years. During the 30's and early 40's he painted with long, thin brushes using watercolor on silk. His subjects, including bamboo, birds and lotus flowers were traditionally Asian.
1933-1936, Professor at École Supérieure des Beaux Arts de l'Indochine in Hanoi. His students from that era remember him as a thin, polite, and well-kept.
1937 returned to Paris to serve as a delegate to the International Exposition, and also as a jury member.
1937 with Vu Cao Dam, Mai Trung Thu had a group exhibition in Bretemil street, in Paris.
1938 remained in France, and had his first one man show there. He became an advisor to the Vietnamese Embassy in Paris and regularly exhibited at the Salon des Independants.
1946 together with Tran Duc Thao and Tran Huu Tuoc, he provided assistance to President Ho Chi Minh and Pharn Van Dong during their stay in Paris.
1950's after Le Pho absorbed the influence of Pierre Bonnard and Odilon Redon, his subjects included sensual female figures, often portrayed in interior settings.
1950-1957 Art Advisor to the Vietnamese Embassy to France.
1957-1958 Opened exhibition in Lyon, Avignon, Nice and Bordeaux with Japanese painter Foujita.
His best paintings, on silk and canvas, are gentle, poetic and Asian in their aesthetic approach. Because of his exquisite skill and his influence as a teacher, Le Pho's paintings are considered extremely desireable.
Le Pho died in Paris in 2001, after donating 20 of his works to the Viet Nam Museum of Fine Arts.
The Lady and Bird, Silk and Gouache, Le Pho
The girl and Scarf, Silk and Gouache, Le Pho
Three girls, Silk and Gouache, Le Pho
Still Life, Silk and Gouache, Le Pho
Still life, Oil on canvas, Le Pho
Still Life, Gouache on Silk, Le Pho
(Resouces: Dr. Philip Nguyen from www.ramgallery.net)
