Entangled Modernisms

In this chapter, the author analyzes how Vietnamese modern art and artists arrived in Paris, and their circulation and reception in the art world there. While migration and diaspora have recently been positioned more centrally in histories of French modernism – especially of the École de Paris – the experience of artists from the colonies has received comparatively little attention. As a cohort, Vietnamese artists in France have the potential to nuance this discussion, as their dual status both as migrant artists and colonial/postcolonial subjects created new complexities in their encounter with Paris. The earliest Vietnamese artists to arrive in France came via networks of colonial patronage, which initially were not specifically dedicated to art. Right-wing support for the EBAI artists was likely a proxy for a more generalized support for French colonialism in general.