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| Representative from Hue Museum of Fine Arts on behalf of Bureau of Culture and Sport presented flowers and the certificate to Le Trung Hung, Le Thanh Nhon’s son |
Considering Hue his second hometown
Sculptor Le Thanh Nhon was well known to the artist circle not only in Hue but also in the entire country for his talent and creativity. Hue is fortunate to possess some of his important artworks. This time his family in Australia have returned to Hue to present his other three artworks, including “Unnamed" (oil paint, 61cm x 51cm), "Ceramic Vase" (ceramic, 50cm x 35cm x 35cm), "Shakyamuni Buddha Statue" (plaster, 61cm x 51cm) to Hue Museum of Fine Arts.
The southern sculptor deeply fell in love with Hue in his own way. His desire of donating his artworks to the city he loved followed him till his death. Before passing away, he entrusted his aspiration to his family. Le Trung Hung, his son, with his “just-enough” Vietnamese, told us about his father’s last days, his intentions, especially his love for Hue. As said by Hung, during his lifetime, his father considered Hue his second hometown after Binh Duong, his place of birth.
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| Le Trung Hung, Le Thanh Nhon’s son (left) presented the statue of Shakyamuni Buddha to Hue Museum of Fine Arts |
Besides teaching at Hue College of Fine Arts (presently Hue University of Arts), Le Thanh Nhon joined the group who made statues of famous Vietnamese people founded by intellectuals and lecturers at Hue College of Fine Arts with Assoc. Prof. Painter Vinh Phoi as head and Prof. Tran Viet Ngac as general secretary. Although his stay in Hue wasn’t long, he contributed to training many sculptors in Hue. He was honored by friends, colleagues, and generations of students as a dedicated lecturer and an example of hard working as an artist. He left for Hue his three masterpieces, the bronze statue of Phan Boi Chau, the statue of Guanyin, and the statue of a Vietnamese Girl. They were all placed along Le Loi street by the poetic river of Perfume as milestones for the land of culture, enhancing the beauty of the river itself.
Hue’s attraction to artists
“Presenting my father’s three artworks to Hue Museum of Fine Arts means my father is present in the museum. They forever belong to Hue to my father’s expectation,” said his son with emotion.
According to researcher Nguyen Xuan Hoa (former Director of Thua Thien Hue Bureau of Culture and Information), he has known Le Thanh Nhon for more than 50 years. At that time, Nhon aspired to make lots of statues of famous Vietnamese people as a way to launch the patriotic movement. "It can be said that sculptor Le Thanh Nhon is very attached to Hue. He was phenomenal. In addition to the statues he had presented to Hue before, these three artworks one more time affirm his great love for this land,” said Hoa.
Receiving the artworks from Le Thanh Nhon’s son, Mrs. Dinh Thi Hoai Trai, Director of Hue Museum of Fine Arts said it was an honor and great meaningful happiness for the museum to keep and introduce Le Thanh Nhon’s life and career to the public both in and out of the country. “People of many generations in Hue appreciate the contribution of Le Thanh Nhon and his son Le Trung Hung’s family to the city of Hue,” said Trai.
Le Thanh Nhon was born in 1940 in Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong Province. After 1975, he settled down in Australia until his death in 2002. He graduated valedictorian in sculpture at Saigon-Gia Dinh College of Fine Arts in 1963, and worked as a lecturer at the school. During 1970-1975, he taught and worked in many places in the Central, including Hue College of Fine Arts (presently Hue University of Arts).