Museum receives paintings of President Ho Chi Minh by artist Van Giao

This was among the museum’s activities to celebrate the 78th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (1945-2023).

The paintings include a sketch and an oil painting featuring President Ho writing the Declaration of Independence, and a painting entitled ‘Being Escorted in the Early Morning’.

They were donated by Doan Van Duc, Deputy Chief of the Office of the Hanoi Municipal Party Committee, and the family of Nguyen Van Duc, the son of painter Van Giao.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Vu Manh Ha, Director of the Ho Chi Minh Museum hailed the works about President Ho Chi Minh by painter Van Giao as very soulful, adding that they touch the hearts of the majority of Vietnamese people.

Not only do they portray the beloved leader, Giao’s paintings also feature historical moments of the nation as well as important milestones in the life and glorious revolutionary career of President Ho Chi Minh.

Painter Van Giao was one of the first Vietnamese revolutionary painters. Most of his works are focussed on two topics: nature, and President Ho Chi Minh.

Painting ‘Bac Ho Viet Tuyen Ngon Doc Lap’ (Uncle Ho writing the Declaration of Independence)

Painter Van Giao was the first painter to create a portrait of Uncle Ho amidst the bustling revolutionary atmosphere in Hanoi in October 1945.

He visited places where Uncle used to live and work, such as Nghe An Province and Cao Bang Province, where he was inspired to create many valuable paintings on the great Vietnamese leader.

Giao’s two most famous paintings on Uncle Ho are ‘Bac Ho Viet Tuyen Ngon Doc Lap’ (Uncle Ho writing the Declaration of Independence) and ‘Giai Di Som’ (Being Escorted in the Early Morning).

Of which, the ‘Uncle Ho writes the Declaration of Independence’ painting was first sketched in 1971 in watercolour in 26x34cm measurement. It was not until 1974 that Van Giao created another oil paint in size 81x110cm to further develop and explore the original sketch.

The painting portrays President Ho Chi Minh writing the Declaration of Independence on the second floor of the house at No. 48 Hang Ngang Street in Hanoi.

Meanwhile, ‘Being Escorted in the Early Morning’ was inspired by and named after a poem of the same name in President Ho Chi Minh’s poetry collection ‘Nhat Ky Trong Tu’ (Prison Diary).

The painting recreated the scene where Uncle Ho was escorted by soldier Chiang Kai-shek to a prison in Guangxi Province, China, in the early morning. The painting was composed in 1977 using gouache material, measuring 65x51 cm.

The ‘Uncle Ho writes the Declaration of Independence’ was preserved for more than 30 years by Doan Van Duc, Deputy Chief of the Office of the Hanoi Municipal Party Committee. The painting was displayed at an exhibition held at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in 2016 to celebrate the 100th birthday of the painter Van Giao.

Painting ‘Giai Di Som’ (Being Escorted in the Early Morning).

Born into a family with rich revolutionary tradition, Doan Van Duc revealed that both his grandfather and father had the opportunity to meet Uncle Ho in person.

He decided to donate the painting to the Ho Chi Minh Museum so that it can receive better preservation and promotion.

At the ceremony, the family of painter Nguyen Van Duc, who is the son of painter Van Giao, also donated a watercolour sketch of ‘Uncle Ho writes the Declaration of Independence’ and the painting ‘Being Escorted in the Early Morning’ to the Ho Chi Minh Museum.

Painter Nguyen Van Duc said that his father spent more than 30 years of his life painting on the topic of Uncle Ho, stressing that the beloved leader is Giao’s endless source of inspiration.

The donation of these paintings to the Ho Chi Minh Museum is in line with painter Van Giao's aspiration as he believes that the museum can preserve and promote works about Uncle Ho to people nationwide, overseas Vietnamese, as well as international visitors so that they can have a deeper understanding about the revolutionary life and career, ideology and morality of the great Vietnamese leader.

Donors Doan Van Duc and Nguyen Van Duc presented with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s certificates of merit at the event.

On the occasion, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong presented the Ministry’s certificates of merit from the Ministry to the donors Doan Van Duc and Nguyen Van Duc.