The exhibition Hanoi through Whose Eyes opened today until July 25 at 49 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hanoi, featuring portraits of artists and businessmen who have made significant contributions to Hanoi's culture.

The exhibition is organized by the Vietnam Fine Arts and Cultural Diplomacy Mobilization Committee and the Hoan Kiem District People's Committee to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the capital (1954-2024).

According to the organizers, the celebrities featured in the exhibition have all contributed to enriching the capital's culture, even if they were not born in Hanoi. They have left an indelible mark on the capital's cultural landscape.

"This exhibition aims to honor the representative artists and entrepreneurs who have contributed to creating a new profile and a new cultural layer of Hanoi over the past 70 years," said Dao Thi Lien Huong, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fine Arts and Cultural Diplomacy Mobilization Committee.

Portraits of billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong (left) and poet/playwright Luu Quang Vu (right) are displayed.

"All these paintings were created by young artists, each one representing the artist's own conceptualization of each individual, creating diversity and richness," she said.

Among the 40 portraits on display, 12 are of artists graduating from L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts de L'Indochine (Fine Arts College of Indochina), including Nguyen Gia Tri, Le Pho, Le Thi Luu, Mai Trung Thu, Bui Xuan Phai, To Ngoc Van and Tran Van Can. They were painted by young artist Le Duc Tung, a lecturer at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts.

Twelve portraits of contemporary artists and writers such as Nguyen Dinh Thi, Phu Quang, Tran Tien, Pho Duc Phuong, Duong Thu, and Xuan Quynh will be presented. They were created by artist Hai Kien, who is also a lecturer at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts.

The exhibition will take place at 49 Tran Hung Dao Street. Photo: Minh An/The Hanoi Times

As Hanoi continues to grow and prosper, it is also important to highlight the examples of businessmen who made financial contributions to the nation during the early days of national independence, including Bach Thai Buoi, Nguyen Son Ha, and Trinh Van Bo, as well as during the era of national construction and development, including Truong Gia Binh, Pham Nhat Vuong, and Nguyen Thi Thao.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition will include an interaction with the filmmaker of the film of the same name, Hanoi through Whose Eyes, and a musical performance of songs about the city performed by famous songwriter Tran Tien.

In between the portraits of famous people are works of art by famous contemporary artists and many young faces that have made Hanoi famous. These typical faces will be respectfully introduced in the following exhibition in October.