Peach Tonkinoise - Léa Lafugie - Oil On Panel -

Tonkinese Fishing - Oil On Panel - Léa Lafugie (1890 - 1972) Born in Paris, passionate about adventure stories at a very young age, Léa became the travel painter par excellence At the age of 14, she enrolled at the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris then at the Academy of Fine Arts and attracts attention for the quality of his drawings. She exhibited several times in Paris, in particular at the Salon des Artistes Indépendants. First stay abroad in 1924, direction North Africa. In 1925, second departure on a ship bound for Indochina. She stopped over in Colombo, arrived in India where she stayed for a long time with excursions to Burma and two expeditions to Tibet in 1926 and 1927. Then came Cambodia, Siam, Laos, Tonkin, China and Japan. Return to France in 1930 via Hawaii, the United States and Haiti. A few months later, new departure for Singapore and Indonesia. Return to France via India and new expedition to Tibet in 1931. Between 1933 and 1945 several round trips between France and the Far East, Indochina and Malaysia. Prisoner of the Japanese during the invasion of Indochina, she was imprisoned in Cholon then transferred to Singapore before being released when Japan surrendered. Throughout these years of travel she draws and paints tirelessly and exhibits many times in the countries where she stays.