On February 28, Pham Luan’s newest art exhibition entitled Pham Luan - Portraits opened at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. This exhibition was held to celebrate the artist's 70th birthday, and also marked his 24th solo exhibition.
Artist Pham Luan with his exhibition poster
This is the first time Pham Luan officially introduced an exhibition of only portrait paintings to the public. The strengths of his landscape paintings, such as his skillful depiction of light, his strong yet delicate oil painting style, are transferred seamlessly into his portrait paintings.
The evening started out with an exciting opening ceremony with remarks from artist Luong Xuan Doan, president of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association; artist Le Thiet Cuong, and artist Pham Luan.
Artist Luong Xuan Doan
Artist Le Thiet Cuong
Artist Pham Luan
Esteemed guests include Mr. Ta Quang Dong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Mr. Vi Kien Thanh, Director General of Vietnam Cinema Department, and Mr. Nguyen Anh Minh, General Director of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.
After the ceremonious ribbon cutting, guests flooded into the three spacious rooms of the exhibition space with great anticipation. Upon entering, visitors are immediately greeted by a delightful display of unique portraits in Pham Luan’s signature style.
Opening Ceremony
"Nearly 60 portraits of my friends, colleagues, and my family are displayed in this exhibition, along with my self-portraits and some group portraits. Many of the people in my portraits didn’t know that I painted them. Their happy exclamation when they saw themselves in my paintings is also my happiness" - artist Pham Luan remarked.
Among the highlights of the evening was the large canvases of self-portraits and the group portrait paintings such as Pham Luan’s Studio, and Expecting Company. Whereas Pham Luan’s self-portraits represents his bold experiment with colours and contrast, his group portraits celebrate the unique personalities of each person and Luan’s mastery in composition.
“Pham Luan went beyond his usual success to set new challenges for himself, demonstrating his commitment and endless creativity,” artist Luong Xuan Doan commented. "His own world of art always keeps its doors wide open, and the outcome is yet to be known…"
Artist Pham Luan with his self-portrait
As the evening drew to a close, attendees lingered in the gallery, reluctant to tear themselves away from the captivating artworks that surrounded them. For many, the "Pham Luan - Portraits" exhibition served as a reminder of the transformative power of art to provoke, inspire, and ignite the imagination—a sentiment that was palpable in the air long after the final guests had departed.
The exhibition will continue until 5 March, 2024.
