Beautiful mid century c. 1960's to early 1970's professionally framed artists proof by Hoi Lebadang with embossed details and signature in pencil bottom right. Lovely, solid heavy mid century period brass frame with gold fillet for living or dining room, bedroom and entryway. Bold, yet peaceful and serene scene which I believe is the artists proof as there is no edition number. Framed size is 32 inches high x 25 inches wide. Artwork is approx. 21 1/2 inches high x 18 wide with a 3 inch matte all around. "When artist's number their editions, they typically also have a smaller set of artist's proofs and a few publisher's proofs. Artist's proofs and publisher proofs are often numbered, usually differently than the standard edition, but sometimes they are not numbered." This is a heavy piece due to the solid brass metal frame, and due to it’s size and weight, will require special packing. Courier shipping includes insurance and tracking, and materials.

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PLEASE NOTE: I do my best to pack glass as safely as possible and ship by courier. However, once and item leaves my hands it is out of my control. I can not guarantee safety and DO NOT accept returns or give refunds on broken glass / lamps etc.

BIOGRAPHY:

Hoi Lebadang aka La Ba Dang was a Vietnamese-born French artist best known for his prolific work: densely textured mixed-media paintings of molded pasteboard, limestone, and pigment on burlap or canvas surfaces, as well as painting, watercolor, sculpture and jewelry. Lebandang’s work often depict forms of horses, floral imagery, Vietnamese villages, and other subjects, seemingly oscillating between abstraction and representation a muted background. Born in 1921 in Bich-La-Dong, Vietnam, Lebadang emigrated to Paris in 1939 and studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse, and where he fought in the French Resistance Army against the Nazi invasion. He was subsequently captured and held in a prison camp, eventually being released and going on to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Today, Lebadang’s works are in the collections of the Cincinnati Museum of Art, the Rockefeller Collection in New York, and the Phoenix Museum of Art, among others. Lebadang died March 8, 2015 in Paris, France.

By examining paintings like his untitled works of the 1960s – abstract, brightly colored, and almost ethereal – one gets the sense that Lebadang’s memories were pushing through to the surface. His oil paintings of the ’60s are ambiguous at first glance, yet the faint outlines of boats, bridges, and horses gently float to the top. After his shift in style, bringing definition to his paintings, these dreams were made more lucid. Many of his figures become emotive and highly dramatic, this time with visible faces. By the time he approached the 1990s, he demonstrated a new pictorial theme that was topographical and textured. Mixing media, he painted aerial scenes of mountains and oceans where the viewer was stationed in the heavens. These paintings elaborated on man’s relationship to the natural world, continuously presented as a flurry of memories.

From some of his paintings, it’s easy to tell that Lebadang was inspired by a legacy of French painting, though his work was more mysterious, cavernous, and delicate. But the French wasn’t his only inspiration. Vietnam’s millennium under Chinese rule soaks through his art: the mountains, the fog, and especially his square red signature provide parallels to early Chinese painting. Lebadang’s “signature” acted as his own logo and closely mirrored the calligrapher’s square red seal of a Song Dynasty hand scroll. Their size, shape, and color are virtually identical.

After dozens of successful exhibitions, Lebadang sent money back to Vietnam to rebuild his devastated village, from the schools to the hospitals, until his village became the best in the country. He was honored by the Vietnamese government with a sponsored Lebadang foundation and museum, the first arts foundation in Vietnam. Splitting his time between Vietnam and Paris, the artist claimed that one day he would retire. But nevertheless, his creativity continued to flourish.

Lebadang was honored with numerous awards and accolades during his career. He also designed an award for the International Institute of St. Louis. The Lebadang Award is presented biannually to an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary volunteer service. The award program was established by the institute in 1989 to recognize organizations and individuals who exemplify “Peace within you, your country, and the world.”

“My artwork is often strange but simple,” Lebadang once said. “So everyone can hopefully feel happy and relaxed, and that’s why they like them.” [Various sources] https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebadang