Da Lat announces paintings of 12 zodiac animals by the late famous painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem

Paintings of the late famous painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem debuted in a classical music space in Da Lat - Photo: MV

On March 10 at Ana Mandara Da Lat (Le Lai ancient villa complex), the 12 zodiac paintings by the late famous painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem were introduced to the public for the first time at the exhibition themed "Nguyen Tu Nghiem: Dialogue with Western classical music".

Unique paintings by famous painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem

The set of 12 zodiac paintings bears the mark of East Asian culture, launched in a very special space of a room in an ancient French villa and classical music.

Curator Nguyen Nhu Huy said: "The event organizers want viewers and listeners to expand their imagination with both famous paintings and classical music."

The program is part of the 2024 Dalat Classical Music Festival co-created and organized by Vietnam Youth Music and Vietfest.

The 12 Zodiac works by the late famous painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem, one of the four modern pillars of Vietnamese painting: "Nghiem - Lien - Sang - Phai", created between 1993 and 2011 using gouache and watercolor on Do paper.

The organizing committee checks the insurance stamps for paintings by famous artist Nguyen Tu Nghiem - Photo: MV

The 12 Zodiac paintings belong to the collection of pianist Tran Le Bao Quyen. She is the great-granddaughter of writer Nguyen Tuan (father-in-law of famous painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem, Mrs. Thu Giang).

Tran Le Bao Quyen shared that her mother was a person who loved to collect paintings, so from a young age, in addition to her burning love for the piano, she also inherited her love of paintings like her mother.

During the years she lived far from home to study and work in Europe, the painting of the zodiac animal imbued with national culture by the famous painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem that she brought with her became more precious than any treasure in the world and made her love her homeland even more.

“For my philosophy of life, the value of painting and music always transcends the mundane world, not affected by conditions such as material or current events,” Bao Quyen confided.

The audience viewed the paintings while listening to the piano performed by the owner of the collection - Photo: MV

Space for intercultural and inter-artistic dialogue

Nguyen Tu Nghiem - Dialogue with Western classical music creates a space for intercultural and inter-artistic dialogue on philosophical, visual and human cultural topics, beyond the realm of aesthetics.

According to curator Nhu Huy, in Vietnamese art, Nguyen Tu Nghiem is a very special case.

He is not only a master painter, but also, through his profound thoughts and research in the field of visual culture, he has - quietly, but resolutely and very consistently - opened up a dialogue, or one could say, a debate and criticism on the theme of "East/West" and "We/Them" identity - an extremely important theme of world contemporary art - which people often call the "post-colonial" theme.

The Year of the Tiger painting by the late famous painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem was drawn on both sides of the paper, and can be viewed upside down or right up - Photo: MV

This event is a continuation of the series of art exhibitions that Ana Mandara Dalat has held in recent years, helping to bring art into the resort space and promote tourism in a creative way.

This is also the main trend that Da Lat tourism has been pursuing recently, when the city was recognized by UNESCO as a Creative City in the field of music under the Global Creative Cities Network.

The painting Dinh Hoi was painted by famous painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem in 2007 - Photo: MV

The exhibition Nguyen Tu Nghiem - Dialogue with Western classical music is open to visitors from March 10 to 17. All of the paintings by collector Bao Quyen are introduced to the public to increase understanding of the paintings of the late famous painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem.

The exhibition does not include the sale of paintings. Some paintings are allowed to be printed on souvenirs for sale in limited quantities to raise funds for the activities of the Dalat Classical Music Festival 2024.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/da-lat-cong-bo-tranh-12-con-giap-cua-co-danh-hoa-nguyen-tu-nghiem-20240310161045289.htm