Le Cong Thanh
Le Cong Thanh (1932–2019, Vietnam) graduated from the “To Ngoc Van class” (1955–1957), otherwise known as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam’s first formal Revolutionary Fine Arts Training Course, with the reputable artist T0 Ngoc Van as its principal. He also graduated from the first Sculpture class at the University of Fine Arts Vietnam (1957–1962). In 1962, Le Cong Thanh was invited to work as a Lecturer at the Intermediate School for Industrial Arts (which in 1965 was renamed to the Industrial Arts College). This was where he met artist Nguyen Kim Thai, at the time a first-year student in the Silk department; they later married in 1965. Between 1968–1970, he completed a sculpture internship at Surikov Arts Academy in Moscow, USSR. In 1975, he stepped away from his Lecturer post to explore independent creative work at the Fine Arts Association. In recognition of his contributions to the arts, the Vietnamese government awarded him the Order of Labor, First Class; the Order of Resistance against the US and National Salvation, First Class; and the Medal for Contribution to the Cause of Vietnamese Literature and Arts. With a creative career stretching over several decades, he diligently brought to life a significant repertoire both in sculpture and painting,and left behind many meaningful works for Vietnamese fine arts.