Singapore’s National Gallery has on display the work of four noted Vietnamese artists as part of the globe-spanning exhibition “Reframing Modernism”.

Le Pho, Nguyen Gia Tri, Bui Xuan Phai and Nguyen Tu Nghiem are among 50 artists whose pieces are on view until July 17 in what’s being billed as the first group show of Southeast Asian and European art.

The exhibition, with more than 200 works, is a collaborative effort between the Singapore gallery and Centre Pompidou in Paris.

The focus is on modernism, one of the most influential artistic and intellectual movements of the 20th century.

Among the highlights is “The Fairies” by Nguyen Gia Tri (1909-93), who is considered the pioneer modernist in Vietnamese lacquer art. Painted in 1936, this is his largest-known lacquer work.

Among four paintings by post-impressionist Le Pho (1907-2001), the most notable is “View from the Hilltop” from 1937. The set a record for a Vietnamese artist at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2014, fetching HK$6.52 million (Bt29.6 million).

The National Gallery’s Phoebe Scott, co-curator of the show, says the four Vietnamese were chosen because of the variety of facets they represent. “Their works respond to the circumstances in Vietnam in very different ways,” she says.

The exhibition is intended to challenge notions of how modernist paintings are presented through a comparative approach. It reveals the diverse artists’ shared concerns to “create a new and different narrative of modernism”.

Viewers can draw their own conclusions about the movement’s relevance to the development of art in Southeast Asia. “We hope the exhibition will inspire fresh and interesting perspectives of the received understanding of modernism and modern art,” says the gallery’s director, Eugene Tan.

“‘Reframing Modernism’ will reinforce our aim to further the understanding of modern art from Southeast Asia within a global context.”

The curator team includes Scott, Tan and Lisa Horikawa of the National Gallery, Catherine David of the Centre Pompidou, and Nicolas Liucci-Goutnikov.

“The collaboration gives art lovers in Singapore and Asia the opportunity to view major artworks from the Centre Pompidou, which houses the world’s largest modern- and contemporary-art collections,” says Serge Lasvignes, the centre’s president.

Opened last November, the National Gallery oversees the largest public collection of modern art in Southeast Asia. It is dedicated to collaborative research, education and exhibitions, highlighting the importance of modern art in Southeast Asia in a global context.

The gallery also provides a unique visitor experience through its art presentations and innovative programming, positioning Singapore as a regional and international hub for the visual arts.