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| Ms. Cecile Le Pham introduces the exhibition space of the museum |
A large collection
Located within the grounds of Le Domaine de Cocodo Hotel, Cecile Le Pham Fine Arts Museum is one of the private collections with a large number of diverse and high-quality artifacts, originating from various places around the world.
Over 1,000 artifacts are the result of Mrs. Cecile Le Pham's persistent research and collection efforts over nearly 30 years, with her passion and love for Vietnamese cultural heritage and a desire to explore the culture and art of the world.
The museum space displays cultural and artistic artifacts from various historical periods, primarily from the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Buddha statues, Buddhist scriptures, religious objects, antiques, funeral objects, interior decorations, paintings... of Vietnam and other countries, such as Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, China, Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, France, Turkey, etc.
These are high-value historical, cultural, and artistic artifacts made from different materials such as gold, silver, bronze, stone, porcelain, silk, paper, wood, etc., that bear the imprint of the convergence of Eastern and Western cultures.
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| A unique Buddha statue collected by Ms. Cecile Le Pham from abroad |
The main exhibition space of the museum is on the second floor, with the theme "Asian Buddhist Art – Multi-angle approaches", consisting of 50 sculptures of Buddha outlining a historical painting of Buddhist art in Vietnam, Southeast Asian countries, and other countries in the world. It reflects the special and important position of Buddhism in the cultural and spiritual life of Hue people from ancient times until now.
Each sculpture of the Buddha conveys messages from the past to the present, opening multiple perspectives and approaches when interacting and exchanging with different cultures from East to West.
On the first floor of the museum is an exhibition with the theme: "Phap lam art in contemporary life", introducing 30 handicrafts from Vietnam and China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The displayed Phap lam products are all handicrafts, mainly household items, decorative items, worship items which are made of gold, silver, copper, and coated with many layers of enamel and colors with traditional manual techniques by talented artisans, thus embodying unique aesthetic and artistic value.
Passion for cultural heritage
Cecile Le Pham Fine Arts Museum is the result of nearly 30 years of collecting artifacts by Ms. Cecile Le Pham. Passionate about antiques and cultural heritage, wherever she goes in the world, Ms. Cecile always devotes time to collecting. Currently, her collection has more than 1,000 artifacts, mostly brought back to Vietnam.
Ms. Cecile shares: "I want to establish a museum in Hue because this is a city with a rich ancient cultural heritage, especially the Nguyen Dynasty heritage. My desire is for young people and students to admire the artifacts collected from all over the world and thereby nurture their passion for cultural heritage."
For the past few decades, every time she had a vacation, Ms. Cecile would spend her time collecting items from all over the world, mostly Buddha statues and artifacts related to Buddhist culture.
She said, "I dedicate my heart and time to going to and immersing myself with people in many communities around the world to learn and collect. I got many items coincidentally and easily. Many friends and acquaintances also enthusiastically gave me artifacts, including items of value related to the Nguyen Dynasty. They gave them to me simply because they were Vietnamese items, hoping they would return to the country."
Educated and living abroad, Ms. Cecile shared that she didn't know much about the historical and cultural heritage of Vietnam but had a great passion for Vietnam's cultural heritage. She expressed, "I am very happy and delighted to have brought many precious artifacts here almost 30 years ago. I want to bring more unique artifacts for the public to admire and at the same time, I feel responsible for preserving the artifacts of our ancestors."
According to Dr. Nguyen Anh Thu, a lecturer at the Faculty of Cultural Heritage, Hanoi University of Culture, the Cecile Le Pham Art Museum is a very attractive collection that the owner has collected for a long time from widely diverse places of nearly 40 countries across 4 continents (Asia, Europe, Africa, and America). They are diverse in terms of types, materials, and cultural meanings.
With the characteristic of being the first non-public comprehensive art museum in Thua Thien Hue, which is dedicated to researching, collecting, preserving and exhibiting, educating, and promoting the cultural values of art through historical periods, the Cecile Le Pham Art Museum will be a unique cultural destination for the public to explore the history of culture, the process of East-West cultural exchange and interaction, and experience activities related to art. Through display and educational activities, the museum will contribute to enhancing aesthetic taste as well as organizing painting activities for students.