Some 40 sketches by lacquer artist Nguyen Gia Tri are on displayed at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum to mark his 110th birthday on June 26. 

The sketches vary in size, ranging from the smallest measuring 15x11cm to the largest at 67x106cm.

Tri used various materials for lacquer paintings, which is known in Vietnam as sơn mài, including ball-point pen, charcoal, watercolour, felt-tipped pen, oil on canvas and wax-colour. His sketches depicted landscape, human characters and designs and themes dealing with the national history. 

The 40 sketches have been selected from the collection of the HCM City Museum of Fine Arts. The museum collected these sketches from 1991 to 2010. 

Tri is considered a legend in the history of modern Vietnamese fine arts.

Tri developed a special interest in the lacquer technique of painting and devoted most of his time to its research.

Vuon Xuan Trung Nam Bac (Centre South North Spring Garden) is one of his master paintings and is his last artwork. Measuring 540x200cm, the painting was bought by HCM City People’s Committee from the artist in 1991 for US$100,000. It was later presented to the HCM City Museum of Fine Arts.

Tri is the only Vietnamese artist whose paintings have been sold at a special price. The larger the painting, the higher the price. 

The exhibition will be open to visitors until July 10 at 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc street, Hanoi.-VNA