In Chézelles France  there  is a treasure trove  of asian art. Beautiful works  by famous artists and former students of École Supérieure des Beaux-arts de L’indochine are featured in the exhibition of Thuy Nga who is also known by her other name, “Lune”.

Her collection includes  paintings  from  famous  Vietnamese painters  such  as Nguyen  Gia Tri,  To  Ngoc Van, Tran Van Can,  Ta Vy, as well as many other artists. Each painting’s record is very clear, insuring its originality. for example, the painting, behind the curtain by Bui Xuan Phai (1920-1988), oil color painting on canvas, size of 40x50cm, 1945, has the original  signature of the artist on  the right corner of the painting.

Mr. Daniel Lavaud, mayor of chézelles, and Lune feintrenie at the inauguration

ceremony of Lune Feintrenie’s exhibition room

Along with Vietnamese paintings, Lune’s exhibition also includes pottery products from the Ly and Tran dynasties as well as collections of Chinese and Japanese antiques. These collections include a pottery dish from the Kangxi Dynasty teacups from the Yongzheng Dynasty, a Lantian gem statue created during the Qianlong Dynasty, and small ivory statues from Japan created during the reign of Emperor Meiji. She also displays many books in French and English by Vietnamese and foreign authors that introduce Vietnamese and Chinese culture and art.

Lune was born in Ha Noi and graduated from Ha Noi National University with a degree in French. She later moved to France and married Michel Feintrenie. While growing up in Viet Nam, Lune admired the works of students from the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de L’Indochine (Indochina Fine Arts University), which was established by Victor Tardieu, a French painter. Now living in Chézelles, France, she keeps in contact with the relatives and friends of the famous artists from that school.

She says, “I have saved money for many years to buy those valuable paintings, not to trade but to use them as family treasures to foster my children’s pride of their motherland, of Viet Nam – the  country of many talented artists’. I do not spend money on gold, diamonds or estates, just paintings and antiques. Of course, they are not common products of medium quality. I have to select those that are of high quality and of good artistic value in the hope of introducing some of the Vietnamese and Oriental art essence to Western connoisseurs.”

The book Vietnamese Pottery Antiques Made in China by Pham Hy Tung inspired her to hunt for pottery products used in the Nguyen Dynasty’s harems and that had been made in China. The  products include dishes which are known among international antique collectors as bleu de Hue (indigo blue Hue enamel). Lune’s bleu de Hue collection is very diverse. She also has one dish with the handwriting of Nguyen Du (a famous Vietnamese poet known for writing The Tale of Kieu). The dish features two verses in the Nom script (ancient Vietnamese). It was written when Nguyen Du visited the kiln during his trip to China as the king’s envoy.

The paintings and antiques are for display to introduce Vietnamese and oriental culture and art. They are not for trade. Because of this, she has gained a lot of support from domestic painting collectors such as Mr. Tran Hau Tuan. When I was visiting her, some Western customers expressed their desire to buy some indigo blue Hue enamel dishes but she refused to sell them because, as she said, “selling means losing”.

What she does offer to sell are handicrafts and fine arts from trade villages in Viet Nam. She sells them at reasonable prices, from 5 to 40 Euros. Lune Boutique (Moon Shop) is a registered trademark in France with an internet address, making it convenient for customers to shop online.

On December 3, 2009, I came across an article titled “Lune Boutique” on a computer screen in La Nouvelle République in France. It reads:

In the heart of Chézelles, a gentle Vietnamese traditional melody resounds. Wearing a smile, Lune kindly welcomes customers from afar wanting to explore Vietnamese specialties. Here, it is not about food but handicrafts and fine arts from Viet Nam and Southeast Asia. Today is a big day for Lune as for the last two years her shop has sat quietly in the small town Chézelles. But now the young female manager can meet customers all over France and the world through her website on the Internet. The Christmas and New Year holidays are coming and she does not want to miss such great opportunities. She  wishes for guests to comment on her website.

And customers finally see clearly why the shop on d’Argy Street is so tempting. It is because they can find many real works of art as well as daily fine arts which were selected carefully from her trips to Viet Nam. She lived in Viet Nam for 37 years and has a passion for art. She often gives encouragement to young artists. She has been preparing for her website for two years tirelessly and passionately. She only selects what is really captivating: ‘All dinner sets and household products here respect and preserve national traditions and reflect the creativity of our country and they are not products of child labor.’

                 “Young girl” by Nguyen Gia Tri, one of the most famous

Vietnamese painters in Lune’s exhibition

The article, featured together with a picture in which Lune is sitting next to the computer, opening the shop website and introducing it to the customers, can be viewed at: www.luneboutique.com. Of course Thuy Nga receives some bonuses for her efforts. But most of the money gained is for the Lotus Association of which she is the honorary president. The charity belongs to the French association of war veterans that has been supporting Van Canh Friendship Village (completed in 2006) in Hoai Duc, Ha Tay and regularly fosters and provides vocational training to 120 Vietnamese children who are Agent Orange victims.