Lacquer painting 'Gióng' by Nguyễn Tư Nghiêm is recognised as national treasure. VNS Photo Nguyễn Bình

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum is showing it is no one-trick pony with an exhibition entitled "Horse in Fine Arts", displaying works in a wide range of media drawn from its collections.

The exhibition brings together 60 works including lacquer, oil on canvas, silk, paper, wood, terracotta and ceramics, selected from the museum’s holdings.

The works focus on the image of the horse across different periods and artistic forms.

"The horse has remained a rich source of inspiration for generations of artists, expressed through diverse styles and emotional approaches by renowned painters and sculptors," said Nguyễn Anh Minh, the museum's director at the opening ceremony.

"During wartime, the artists realistically and emotionally depicted horses as faithful companions of soldiers, accompanying them across forests and mountains and assisting in the transport of supplies.

"Today, the image of the horse continues to evolve, symbolising strength, loyalty and aspiration in modern life."

Created by folk artisans and successive generations of Vietnamese artists, the works span key artistic periods, from the Indochina School of Fine Arts and the fine arts course of the resistance war period to modern and contemporary Vietnamese art.

Beyond its formal and aesthetic qualities, the horse has also embodied symbolic meanings, most notably heroism, closely linked to historical legends and the national spirit.

A foreign visitor looks at the paintings by artist Ngô Mạnh Lân. Photo Việt Nam National Museum of Fine Arts

Within the museum’s collection, the image of the horse also appears in two works recognised as national treasures: Gióng (Gióng) by Nguyễn Tư Nghiêm and Uncle Hồ in the Việt Bắc War Zone by Dương Bích Liên.

In these and other works, the horse becomes a powerful symbol of heroism and national spirit, closely associated with historical legends, particularly the image of Saint Gióng.

This spirit is also vividly conveyed through other significant works such as Ông Gióng by Ngô Mạnh Lân, Gióng by sculptor Lê Công Thành and Saint Gióng by Trần Khánh Chương.

Together, these creations harmoniously combine traditional and modern artistic languages, resonating with the resilient and indomitable spirit of the Vietnamese nation.

The horse remains deeply rooted in lived experience, particularly in the daily life of communities in Việt Nam’s highland regions. More than a domesticated animal, it is a loyal companion, intimately involved in labour, everyday activities and spiritual life.

This close relationship between humans and horses became especially significant during the years of resistance and wartime struggle.

During the early and arduous stages of the resistance, horses played an essential and practical role.

Particularly notable are depictions of horses alongside President Hồ Chí Minh in drawings and prints by artists, conveying a sense of closeness and affinity between the national leader and the horse and establishing a powerful symbolic image of the resistance period.

Familiar images of horses among ethnic minority groups such as the Mông, Tày and Nùng peoples are vividly portrayed in works by artists including Tô Ngọc Vân, Nguyễn Văn Tỵ, Bùi Xuân Phái and Nguyễn Sỹ Tốt.

The exhibition is held on the occasion of the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Việt Nam on February 3 and in celebration of the Lunar New Year of the Horse.

It runs until March 1 at 66 Nguyễn Thái Học Street. — VNS