Henri Gourdon (1876 - 1943), author of "The Art of Annam", had profound knowledge of Indochina and significantly contributed to promoting the education reform program of France in Indochina.

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Cover of the book "“The Art of Annam”. Photo: cand.com.vn  
He is also the author of the book "Indochina", which was published by Larousse Publishing House in 1931.

“The Art of Annam” was first published by Boccard in 1933. Based on relevant references and his own practical experiences, Henri Gourdon provided readers with a comprehensive insight into the origins and trends of the Vietnamese art in the Annam (a name of Vietnam in the ancient time and the Central region of Vietnam during the French colonial time) period.

This book is organized into five sections, featuring social and ethnic characteristics, general history and the arts of architecture, sculpture and painting, handicrafts. In addition, "The Art of Annam" contains 16 important documentary photos, illustrating art achievements of Annam.

On this occasion, Nha Nam Publishing and Communications Joint Stock Company in collaboration with the French Cultural Center in Ha Noi will organize a discussion about the traditional art of Vietnam under the French colonial period on February 21 at L'Espace, 24 Trang Tien, Hanoi.

Translator Truong Quoc Toan, Painter Bui Hoai Mai and Literary critic Mai Anh Tuan will join the discussion.

Source: CAND

Translated by Linh Chi