An exhibition of 140 works by the renowned painter Mai Trung Thứ is being held in Paris.

Most of the works have never been presented to the public before, including oil paintings on canvas, silk paintings, photographs, and lithographs. A representative from the organizing committee stated on the website: "The exhibition is an opportunity to explore a personal style imbued with poetic qualities, with lines and colors inspired by Vietnamese life and traditional culture."

The exhibition was organized by the Ursulines Museum in collaboration with the Cernuschi Museum, specializing in Asian art in Paris. Ms. Mai Lam Phuong, daughter of Mr. Mai Trung Thu, served as the consultant and supporter. According to the Macon media outlet, the exhibition was recognized by the French Ministry of Culture as having national significance.

Art researcher Ngo Kim Khoi said he received an invitation from the museum but was unable to travel to France due to the pandemic. According to him, the event is an opportunity for visitors to learn more about Mai Trung Thu in the field of Indochinese art. The Cernuschi Museum – the organizer – is one of two prestigious museums in Paris specializing in Asian art. "The exhibition commemorates a great artist of Indochinese art, whose work recently achieved a record-breaking Vietnamese painting at auction," Mr. Khoi said.

During his lifetime, the artist held three solo exhibitions: Children of Mai Thu (1964), Women Through the Eyes of Mai Thu (1967), and The World of Poetry of Mai Thu (1980). In recent years, his paintings have appeared in several group exhibitions on Vietnamese painting. In April, Mai Trung Thu's Portrait of Mademoiselle Phuong fetched $3.1 million at the "Beyond Legends: Modern Art Evening Sale" auction at Sotheby's.

Mai Trung Thu

He was a renowned painter of modern Vietnamese art in the early 20th century. He graduated from the first class of the Indochina College of Fine Arts (1925-1930). He spent most of his life living and working artistically in France. His name is associated with silk paintings depicting women, children, and everyday life, viewed through a lens imbued with East Asian aesthetics. Mai Trung Thứ, along with Vũ Cao Đàm, Lê Thị Lựu, and Lê Phổ, were known as the "Four European Masters" of Vietnamese painting (Phổ - Thứ - Lựu - Đàm).

Bo Di