Goya prints on show in HCMC

Rare prints composed by world famous Spanish artist Francisco de Goya y Lucientes between 1810 and 1820 are on display for the second time in Vietnam at an exhibition in the HCMC Fine Arts Museum. The 33 etchings are from Goya’s series Disaster of War, which is a collection of painful scenes from Spain’s War of Independence (1808-1814) against the French.
The etchings were exhibited in Vietnam for the first time in Hanoi in October 2008. The works were brought to the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum by American Dr Hans Guggenheim, who came to the country to exhibit 46 prints from his personal collection by the Spanish artist to celebrate the 5th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Spain.
In 2009, Guggenheim donated 33 of the prints to the Vietnam Fine Art Museum. The etchings showcase Spain’s struggle for liberation against Napoleon’s troops.
Hanging alongside Goya’s pieces are 205 paintings and sketches completed during the French and American war by Vietnamese artists such as Huynh Phuong Dong, Thai Ha, Le Hong Hai and Co Tan Long Chau.
While the etchings show the pain, sorrow and death suffered by Spanish people during their struggle, exhibition goer will also see the encouraged and optimistic spirits of soldiers in paintings by the Vietnamese artists, says Ma Thanh Cao, acting director of the HCMC Fine Arts Museum.
The exhibition opening was celebrated by the HCMC Fine Arts Association and the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum to mark the 35th anniversary of the liberation of the South (April 30) and the 1,000th anniversary of capital Hanoi.
The exhibition can be enjoyed though April 15 at the HCMC Fine Arts Museum, 97A Pho Duc Chinh Street, District 1.