On January 12, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum held a landmark ceremony to receive a collection of nearly 1,000 paintings and sculptures transferred from the Vietnam Fine Arts Association. This marks the largest art handover in the museum’s history and a significant milestone in the preservation and promotion of the nation’s artistic heritage.

The collection comprises 979 works spanning various periods in Vietnamese art, capturing the richness of its visual history. Many of the works were created by artists trained at the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine, by painters and sculptors from the resistance era, and by alumni of the Vietnam University of Fine Arts, alongside contemporary creators.

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Nguyen Anh Minh, Director of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, and Luong Xuan Doan, Chairman of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, sign the official handover agreement.

The pieces represent a wide array of materials and styles, showcasing both the spirit of the times and the distinct voices of individual artists. Many works explore the fusion of traditional Vietnamese aesthetics with modern artistic expression, delivering powerful and nuanced visual narratives.

Nguyen Anh Minh, Director of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, called the transfer “an unprecedented and historic event,” one with deep significance for art conservation and cultural outreach.

“This decision reflects bold leadership and long-term vision,” Minh said. “All these works are national assets. The museum now carries the responsibility to preserve and promote them for future generations.”

Art as legacy: a gift to the nation

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Luong Xuan Doan, Chairman of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, emphasized that this extraordinary collection was made possible through the heartfelt, voluntary contributions of many generations of artists - often created under challenging material conditions.

The artworks are categorized into three main groups:

Propaganda posters and political cartoons from the 1950s, rich in historical and artistic value

Paintings and sculptures created during the resistance wars and the post-war reconstruction era

International graphic art pieces, reflecting Vietnam’s global artistic exchanges

Each work carries the imprint of its era and documents the evolution of Vietnamese artistic thought over time.

Doan stressed that it is only when artworks are placed in an appropriate museum setting that they truly "come alive" - presented in context, honored for their cultural worth, and made fully accessible to the public.

A gift worth more than money

At the handover ceremony, approximately 30 standout works were presented to the public and will be on display from January 12 to 17.

Artist Le Lien, speaking to VietNamNet, described the transfer as a meaningful act that ensures better preservation and more frequent exhibition of the artworks. He noted that for any artist, having their work in a national collection is a profound honor.

“Even if a piece could fetch four or five billion VND from international collectors, many of us would still rather donate it to the museum,” he said. “We want Vietnamese audiences to experience and take pride in these works. That’s more valuable than money.”

Tinh Le