Vu Cao Dam, Vietnamese, 1908 to 2000, mixed media, gouache, whitewash, painting on silk depicting a portrait of a woman. Signed and inscribed with Hieroglyphs, lower right. Framed. Vu Cao Dam is known for Modernist figure, landscape and portrait bust sculpture. Painter and sculptor Vu Cao Dam was born in Hanoi in 1908. He attended the Ece des Beaux Arts de Indochine between 1926 and 1931. In 1932 he obtained a scholarship to further his studies as a sculptor in France. Eventually he specialized in painting. His painting during this period was mainly on silk, and showed the influence of ancient Chinese art.The bronze requisitions of the Second World War pushed the young artist to use other materials such as terracotta, which he shaped with great sensitivity. It was at this time that he produced his most beautiful pieces, which he described as unique works. By freezing in clay the graceful silhouette of the Tonkinese, he creates a deep link between the Chinese court ladies of the Tang period and the Child Virgins of European culture. The traces of modelling that have been left behind betray the modernity of the creative act, while the highlights of colour underline the finesse and serenity of the face. One of a kind artwork.