THÁI HÀ
b.1922, Bac Ninh
Thái Hà (born as Nguyễn Như Huân) regularly visited artisans in the village of Tan Hong commune to learn about lacquer techniques at a very young age. In 1940, he started his preparatory studies in Hanoi at the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine under the tutelage of Joseph Inguimberty. With the advent of American bombing of Japanese occupying forces in World War II, Huân was evacuated along with his painting classes to Sơn Tây, where he continued his studies and joined the last intake to the senior course. His classmates included Phan Kế An and Dương Bích Liên and Tô Ngọc Vân became his principal teacher.