Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Pham Viet Anh with the Dutch businessman and Vietnamese art collector Geert Steinmeijer. Also in the picture ambassador spouse and Erik Lips, curator.
On September 3, 2021, the No Hero Museum in Delden (Netherlands) launched an exhibition of paintings by talented Vietnamese artists from the collection of Dutch businessman Geert Steinmeijer.
With a strong passion for arts, Mr. Geert Steinmeijer created a private museum with his own funds with the motto of connecting artistic emotions and considered the museum as his third child. He used to do business and travel to Vietnam many times from the 1990s to 2010. He fell in love with Vietnamese artists’ paintings and Vietnamese Culture. He has collected 35 paintings by talented Vietnamese artists of the first and second generations after the August Revolution, such as Tran Dinh Tho, Vu Giang Huong, Do Xuan Doan, To Ngoc Thanh, Huynh Phuong Dong, Bui Huu Hung, Dang Xuan Hoa, Nguyen Trung. Many Vietnamese paintings have been exhibited since 2020, but this is the first time the entire collection lacquer and silk has been presented to the public.
The theme of the exhibition – “Vietnam: A Dream Paradise” – was chosen by him as he wanted to introduce an optimistic and poetic lifestyle of the Vietnamese people in a tragic, heroic, optimistic and hopeful period. The layout of the exhibition consists of 3 sections: “Vietnamese identity”, “Vietnamese women” and “Paradise on Earth” as to depict the determination to fight for freedom, peace and life. The host showed his deep understanding of Vietnam when he said: “This exhibition consists of beautiful paintings, presents a beautiful, outwardly peaceful life of a nation that history has never treated kindly”.
Geert Steinmeijer’s love for Vietnam spread throughout his small family. His daughter took a 6-week motorbike trip across Vietnam to understand Vietnam with her own feelings.
Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Pham Viet Anh was honored to cut the ribbon opening the exhibition. Representatives of the Provisional Committee of the Vietnamese Association in the Netherlands and many relatives in the community attended the exhibition were proud of the talent of Vietnamese artists and deeply moved by the love and sympathy of Dutch friends for Vietnam.
The deep affection of Geert Steinmaijer and No Hero Museum for Vietnam is much appreciated!