'Meeting again' painter Cong Quoc Ha, descendant of the once famous Phu Gia family

The daughter of painter Cong Quoc Ha, Ms. Cong Nu Hoang Anh, brought more than 30 paintings, mostly large in size, with various materials from lacquer, oil, acrylic... from Sweden to Hanoi , inviting her father's art lovers to come and enjoy.

With the theme Old Heritage - New Soul, the paintings are displayed at Mo Artspace (Apricot Hotel, 136 Hang Trong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) from now until August 2, along with memorabilia associated with the creative life of artist Cong Quoc Ha such as brushes, pens, trowels, colors, watches, bags...

Another Ha Kingdom, many thoughts

Viewers can admire large-scale lacquer paintings with bright colors typical of Cong Quoc Ha, works with diverse themes, such as paintings of horses, cats, flowers, not just women and Hanoi's Old Quarter, the two most popular themes of the artist.

Especially the outstanding works the artist painted in the last years of his life.

Ms. Cong Nu Hoang Anh said she brought the paintings from her family museum (Duchy Museum) in Sweden to Hanoi, so that the domestic public can also enjoy her father's works.

The paintings are chosen by her based on personal feelings, suitable for the display space, not according to any theme.

Viewers will see a diverse Cong Quoc Ha, with the inner depth and thoughts of a studious and well-read person, a sensitive artist, but always maintaining an optimistic and cheerful spirit.

That spirit is especially expressed in his later paintings.

Ms. Hoang Anh shared that while he used to paint street and women paintings to meet market demand, in the last years of his life he painted these themes in an abstract style, completely for himself.

These are paintings that show another Cong Quoc Ha, full of thoughts and contemplation, a "voice of an infinitely deep inner world , close to Eastern philosophy" as art critic Tran Thuc once commented.

Descendant of Phu Gia Hotel's uncle

Painter Cong Quoc Ha was born in 1955 into a famous bourgeois family in Hanoi.

The artist's grandfather was the one who built the famous Phu Gia Hotel and Restaurant on Hang Trong Street before 1954 - the location of today's Apricot Hotel, where the artist held many exhibitions.

His sister is the painter Cong Kim Hoa, also very famous for her lacquer paintings.

Painter Cong Quoc Ha graduated from the lacquer major of the College of Industrial Fine Arts (now Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts) in 1979.

He was one of the artists who sold many paintings to foreign tourists when Vietnam first opened up, and continued to sell many paintings during his decades of pursuing painting.

He is most famous for his themes of women, old streets, and flowers, with his own painting style, minimalist lines, focusing on composition, and distilling bright colors.

His paintings are loved for their romantic, nostalgic, nostalgic quality and bright, emotional colors.

Cong Quoc Ha also illustrates for many newspapers and magazines.

Since 2012, he has moved to Sweden. In the family's old villa, he and his daughter have established a family museum. There, they display not only his works, but also many works by international artists and friends that artist Cong Quoc Ha has collected.

Before his death in late 2024, he held many exhibitions domestically and internationally.