(VOVworld) – Most of Vietnamese painters, sculptors, and art critics have been trained by the Vietnam University of Fine Arts. The school is reforming its curriculum to improve the quality of its training.
The Indochina College of Fine Arts, the predecessor of the Vietnam University of Fine Arts, was established in 1925 under French rule. It was the first regular fine art training college in Vietnam and the region. Its first director was painter Victor Tardieu. Painter Nam Son, one of the best teacher of Vietnam’s modern fine arts, contributed significantly to the university’s development in its very first days. His painting “Rice market by the Red river” displayed at the 1930 Paris painting exhibition was the first painting by a Vietnamese artist bought by the French state and exhibited at the French Museum of Fine Arts.
The university has trained thousands of artists and many made a name for themselves such as Lê Phổ, Lưu Văn Đệ, Nguyễn Phan Chánh, Tô Ngọc Vân, Trần Văn Cẩn, Nguyễn Đức Nùng, and Hoàng Tích Trù. The university has played an important role in introducing Vietnam’s fine arts abroad. It received the Ho Chi Minh Order in 2015.
University director, Associate professor and Emeritus teacher Le Van Suu said: “The distinction honored our achievements over the last 90 years. It was not the school’s long history but its contributions to society that have been acknowledged.”
The university has changed its training program to meet social demands during different periods of history. Mr. Suu again: “While maintaining its identity the school is strengthening international cooperation to properly adjust its training programs. Renovation is of paramount importance to every school.”
Deputy head of the post-graduate department Ngo Tuan Phong said the school has consulted training programs of universities in Japan, Germany, Sweden, and the US. He said: “Our students are equipped with the knowledge taught in schools in other countries. After graduation they will be confident enough to meet social demands.”
Nguyen Thi Kim Nga, a former student of the Vietnam National University of Fine Arts, said: “People expressed their admiration when I said I graduated from the Vietnam University of Fine Arts. I’m proud of the genuine values the school gave us. The school has trained many famous Vietnamese painters who have been recognized internationally.”