Gouache painting 'Bác Hồ Với Tây Nguyên' (Uncle Hồ with People in the Central Highlands) by Ba Na ethnic painter Xu Man in 1974.

HÀ NỘI Sixty works selected from a collection by Vietnamese and international artists about President Hồ Chí Minh are on display at the Việt Nam National Museum of Fine Arts, Hà Nội.

With different genres and materials the exhibition Hồ Chí Minh Trong Nghệ Thuật Tạo Hình (Hồ Chí Minh in Fine Arts) features the artworks by from the museum's collection. Spanning various media including painting, graphic, sculpture, embroidery and paper-cutting, they capture key moments in President Hồ's life and revolutionary path.

"For generations of artists, President Hồ Chí Minh’s modest lifestyle, moral integrity and unwavering commitment to the people have served as a profound source of inspiration," said the museum director Nguyễn Anh Minh.

"Through painting, sculpture and other media, artists have paid tribute to his life and ideals, expressing deep admiration and respect."

Ba Na ethnic painter Xu Man (1925 -2007) met President Hồ twice, when he was a fine arts student and he joined the army to fight in the South's battle.

He portrayed the president in over a hundred works. In his paintings, President Hồ is shown Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) people's affection for him. He drew the gouache painting Bác Hồ Với Tây Nguyên (Uncle Hồ with People in the Central Highlands) in 1974.

The exhibition-goers have chance to see a woodcut by Trần Văn Cẩn (1910-94). Cẩn, one of the prominent artists of Vietnamese modern fine arts created Đầu Nguồn (The Source) in 1970 featuring President Hồ working at a stone table in the revolution base in Cao Bằng Province.

The exhibition is not confined to Vietnamese artists, American David Thomas created a portrait of the President at the exhibition in 1988 and donated it to the museum. He is a veteran who fought in Việt Nam in 1969-70.

Screen printing Hồ Chí Minh by American David Thomas.

A woodcut print by Tô Ngọc Vân (1906-54) portrays President Hồ as a thin and gentle elderly leader, warmly encircled by cheerful and rounded-face children with funny and loving gestures. The children's traditional attire symbolises unity, representing boys and girls from various regions and ethnic groups across Việt Nam.

The exhibits also include sculptures made more recently. A bronze sculpture by Nguyễn Phú Cường in 2018 also vividly depicts the spirit of the leader in the battlefield during difficult times.

Portrait of President Hồ Chí Minh by South Korean Lee Sang Phil in 1961. VNS Photos Nguyễn Bình

Each work at the exhibition depicts an important time in the life, activities, and revolutionary career of President Hồ.

The works by Văn Giáo, Dương Tuấn and Nguyễn Dương feature Hồ Chí Minh's early quest for national salvation to his role as the head of State. His time working in the Việt Bắc resistance zone is vividly portrayed in pieces by Phan Kế An, Nguyễn Văn Tỵ and Trọng Kiệm.

The exhibition runs until May 30 at 66 Nguyễn Thái Học Street, Hà Nội. VNS