Wk 9 - Activity - Museum Visit

HCMC Fine Arts Museum

This week I went to Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This was actually my second time coming to this place. It is one of the largest fine arts centers of Vietnam, Fine Arts Museum is conveniently located near the Ben Thanh market area.

The museum was originally a mansion of a Chinese during colonial time and after - Mr. Hoa, the wealthiest man of Saigon at the time, who also owned other famous buildings in the city such as Majestic Hotel and Tu Du Hospital.

This yellow-white grand colonial-era mansion is a combination of French and Chinese styles which brings about a typical colonial feeling through its marble floors throughout and the spacious, airy rooms. It’s no wonder that the building is considered as a masterpiece itself by most people.

The Fine Arts Museum is indispensable for those who are keen on Vietnam arts and culture. Although the museum itself is not big and modern enough, its abundant collections can make up for these issues. The museum focuses on collecting, keeping, preserving and displaying fine artworks typical of Vietnamese people, especially Ho Chi Minh City and the South. It comprises three floors of exhibition space.

The 1st floor is for domestic and international arts display. The 2nd floor stores artworks – both paintings and sculptures of Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese artists. Some paintings from Vietnamese artists of the last 50 years are displayed there include: Trinh Cung, Do Quang Em, Diep Minh Chau, and Nguyen Gia Tri.

The 3rd floor holds a collection of historic arts ranging from 7th century to early 20th century, featuring Champa and earlier civilizations such as Oc Eo archaeological site in Mekong Delta. The contemporary Blue Space Contemporary Art Centre, located near the entrance, is run by the museum. There's a warren of galleries in the basement, accessed through the courtyard in the center of the building.

And here are my top 2 favorite paintings from this museum:

The first one is a painting about the connection between Vietnamese people during the war. By using only black and white, the artist Trinh Cung has created a sense of belonging as well as a feeling of fear in his artwork. Different faces are hiding in the tropical forest. Most of them are old people who live in war. For them, the forest is the only place that they can be safe. Moreover, the branches of trees are created based on the link between humans. It implies that the connection of Vietnamese people during war is unbreakable.

The second piece is another artwork about the consequences of the war on people. By using mostly dark color, artist Do Quang Em absolutely makes the audiences think about the effects of the war. Each of the face in this painting is actually the real disease of the bombing attacks during the Vietnam war. People with unrecognized faces and the looks on their faces are priceless. We can feel the pain that they are facing every single day due to the Agent Orange.