Premiere of documentary about painter Mai Trung Thu

"Mai Thu: A multi-talented artist's journey back to Mâcon" is a 17-minute documentary film, directed and directed by Elsa Gonzalez and produced by Mai-Thu Suite. The film will officially premiere online at 8:00 p.m. on December 18, 2021. Information about the film will be updated on the fanpage.French Institute in Hanoi - L'Espace / Institut français de Hanoi - L'Espace.

The film was made within the framework of the exhibition "Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980), the echo of a dreamy Vietnam"(French: Mai-Thu, echó d'un Vietnam rêvé)- a solo exhibition by artist Mai Trung Thu, taking place from June to October 2021, jointly organized by the Ursulines Museum (Mâcon) and the Cernuschi Museum.

This exhibition recreates Mai Trung Thu's artistic journey in chronological order. This is also the first time an exhibition has published the talented artist's never-before-seen works, with nearly 140 paintings in oil, canvas, drawings, photographs and lithographs.

A graduate of the first class of the Indochina College of Fine Arts, Mai Trung Thu was "one of the first artists to integrate Vietnamese painting with modern trends." His works are a perfect synthesis of Eastern and Western traditions. Mai Trung Thu created a fusion style that both reflects his Asian origins and style and attracts international audiences.

Recently, many of Mai Trung Thu's works have been auctioned for huge values, especially "Portrait of Miss Phuong" - a work created by the artist in 1930, which was sold for a record price of 24.3 million Hong Kong dollars (more than 70.5 billion VND) at Sotheby's Hong Kong auction house in April this year, becoming the work with the highest public price in the history of Vietnamese fine arts.

Another work by Mai Trung Thu - the lacquer painting "Thieu phu ben song" will also be opened for sale by Sotheby's Hong Kong in a live auction at 2:00 p.m. on December 14, with an estimated price of 5-7 million Hong Kong dollars (about 14-21 million VND).

Khanh Ha