Ulaanbaatar, September 6, 2023 /MONTSAME/. An exhibition “Our Dreams” dedicated to the 90th birthday anniversary of Amgalan Dagdan, the People’s Painter and Laureate of the State Premium of Mongolia was opened on September 4, 2023 at the Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery.

The artist’s renowned artworks such as “Dreams”, “Winter Night”, “Skipping Capitalism” and “At the Land of Jaakhan Sharga” are on display at the exhibition along with artworks of his numerous students. The Mongolian National University of Arts and Culture (MNUAC), the Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery (MNMAG) and "Amgalan Yertonts" Foundation jointly organized the exhibition.

“Amgalan Dagdan is not only a great artist, but also a founder of the Fine Arts College, serving as its Rector for 20 years. He evolved the college even to be named as Amgalan’s School and created famous artists and painters. He is still alive in the hearts of many. The Fine Arts College has become Academy of Fine Arts today. Therefore, artist Amgalan will never die,” underscored MNUAC Rector Sonintogos Erdenetsogt in her remarks at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

Amgalan Dagdan was born in Khalzan soum of Sukhbaatar aimag in 1933. The artist’s prominent poster “Skipping Capitalism” is one of the appealing workpieces in the exhibition hall. The gouache painting in 1961, shows a specific period of not only Mongolian history, but also of that time entirely. Once artist Amgalan commented ‘Actually, I named this piece of my work as “From Darkness to The Light”. I wanted to show how a horseman breaks into the light from a dark society. However, due to the political situation of that time the painting is renamed.”

As soon as you enter the exhibition hall, you will be attracted to a masterpiece of Mongolian Fine Art, “At the Land of Jaakhan Sharga” (1965), which skillfully combines Mongolian lifestyle with the socialist development and cultural revolution. The masterpiece is registered in the MNMAG collection and has been kept in the Ikh Tenger Complex along with other 17 famous works since 1986. Nonetheless, in 2020 the masterpiece returned to MNMAG.

People’s Artist Amgalan took up painting in 1951, creating his work “The Spring Time”. He had a desire to preserve national art heritage while creating artworks in realism, depicting the historical events of Mongolia.

Artist Amgalan is a founder of xylography, embossing, stained glass art in Mongolia. Since 1963, he had worked as the Rector, Art Director, and a professor of the Fine Arts College and trained more than 50 disciples and educated some 500 artists.  He had been a member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Mongolian Artists and elected as a Member of the People's Great Khural (parliament) twice.

Amgalan Dagdan was awarded Laureate of the State Premium of Mongolia in 1969 with his artworks “Morning of My Birthplace” and “The Wishing”. He also awarded with the People’s Painter in 1975 and Order of the Polar Star in 1981.

The exhibition will run until September 15, 2023.