Nguyen Truong Linh, a master of lacquer painting and a national treasure of Vietnam, was born in Hanoi in 1971 and currently serves as the head of the Department of Fine Arts at the Hanoi University of Fine Arts. He represents the direct lineage of Vietnamese lacquer painting development since the 1930s and is one of the most prominent artists of the third generation of lacquer painters in Vietnam following its reforms.

Over the years, Nguyen Truong Linh has received numerous awards, including the National Gold Medal at the National Fine Arts Exhibition held every five years. In 2013, he represented Vietnam at the Venice Biennale.

Nguyen Truong Linh excels in a semi-figurative style that combines Vietnamese mythology and historical narratives, emphasizing the transmission of Vietnamese lacquer painting artistic thought over nearly a century. He employs innovative techniques to depict ethnic imagery, using many traditional Vietnamese cultural elements to showcase a diverse array of ethnic beliefs, literary achievements, and various aspects of folk life. Simultaneously, he explores the continuum and boundaries between traditional and modern society, metaphorically addressing contemporary social issues in Vietnam.

To view Nguyen Truong Linh’s artworks is not merely to appreciate a single piece; rather, through his use of color, texture, and layering techniques, it is like experiencing a rich exhibition that conveys profound cultural ideas, as if narrating epic tales of the nation to the viewer.