Typical works by Hue artists collected by Hue Museum of Fine Arts

At 15 Le Loi Str. by the poetic Perfume river, many people were leisurely enjoying the typical works of art. The exhibition which lasted for nearly a month for free was an opportunity for many people to see with their own eyes masterpieces by Ton That Dao, Ton That Sa, Ton That Van, Buu Chi, Mai Trung Thu, Hoang Dang Nhuan, Truong Be, Do Ky Hoang, Vinh Phoi, Dinh Cuong, Phan Xuan Sanh, Vo Xuan Huy, etc.

Those talented painters were born or lived, studied and worked in Hue. They had contributed their parts in building the Hue fine arts from the early decades of the 20th century now.  It meets the criteria that the museum aims at.

“Lam xiec” (“Circus”) by Buu Chi, “Lang Tu Duc” (“Tu Duc Mausoleum”) by Ton That Van, “Goi Kiem” (“Sword Pillow”) by Phan Xuan Sanh

Many people noticed the masterpiece by Ton That Dao, the first principal of Hue School of Fine Arts. It is “Girl by Lotuses” (silk, 50cmX70cm). For some reasons, the painting used to be at Hue University of Art. Later, after lots of persuasion and negotiation, his family agreed to let the museum keep it.

“Tu Duc Mausoleum” (oil painting on canvas 1.1mx1.5m) by the deceased painter Ton That Van attracted many people’s attention with girl students in ao dai among constructions at Tu Duc Mausoleum as the background. The painting was painted in 1972 and collector Nguyen Huu Hoang collected it from a man from Ho Chi Minh City. Later Hoang agreed to contribute it to the collection of Hue Museum of Fines Arts. 

Paintings by typical artists attracted many viewers

“Among the 68 works collected from the state budget there is “Co gai va long chim” (“Girl by the Birdcage” by the famous painter Mai Trung Thu, one of the first painters who graduated from Indochina College of Fine Arts and worked in the ancient capital city at Quoc Hoc High School. The painting used to be owned by Mr. Phan Dinh Hoi in Hue and later he “entrusted” it to the museum.

Then “Vang son Lap lanh” (“Twinkling”) by the deceased painter Truong Be or “Thanh pho Mong mo” (“Dreaming City”) by the wandering Hue painter Hoang Dang Nhuan, etc. gave viewers lots of feelings.

Many painting lovers were touched when they saw for the first time these masterpieces with their own eyes since for many reasons, after five years in the museum storehouse, it was the first time that the collection had been displayed. “Great!” uttered antique collector Nguyen Huu Hoang, who once ceded his artifact to the museum.

A corner displaying works which have been collected by Museum of Fine Arts for 5 years now

According to Hoang, these are precious works by those whose names are indispensable when it comes to the fine art of the Ancient Capital. "Hopefully, more and more precious works will be collected by the museum to preserve and honor the values of Hue art", said Hoang while admiring “Khong de 1” ("Untitled 1”,) the oil painting by the deceased painter Vo Xuan Huy.

Meeting Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa, former Director of the Department of Culture and Information, at the exhibition, we saw his eyes glow up with joy. After nearly 20 years of nourishment when he was still in office and 5 years since the museum was founded, the works were displayed to the public. 

“This exhibition is very special because it has been cherished for two decades. Since the time when the museum had not yet come into being, despite our unsuccessful proposal, with our own effort, we, those working in the culture field, started collecting with a very limited budget as the premise for the birth of the Museum of Fine Arts today", said Hoa with emotion while he was leisurely looking at the works by famous artists.

A painting by Hoang Dang Nhuan which attracts lots of viewers’ attention

For many experts and those who work in painting, the number of works collected in the past 5 years by a museum of fine arts is still small. But in the context of a new museum with many difficulties, it is an effort that need to be recognized.

According to Artist Nguyen Thien Duc, Dr., Chairman of Thua Thien Hue Fine Arts Association, the works collected and presented to the public by Hue Museum of Fine Arts had made a distinct impression. He called those works “the first bricks” and hoped in the future it will be a good-quality museum of fine arts.

“Le Truyen Lo” (“Truyen Lo Ceremony”) by Do Ky Hoang, presented to Museum of Fine Arts by Hue Monuments Conservation Center

According to Duc, the presence of many big names in this collection is very precious. They were the first generation of the pre-modern period and those who laid the foundation for modern art, especially Hue modern art. “Although it is far from sufficient, it’s good anyway since art collecting is encountering lots of difficulties when competing with private collectors,” said Duc.