It will be the first time many of Mai Trung Thứ's oil on canvas, paintings on silk, drawings, photographs, and lithographs will be available for public viewing.
The art exhibition "Écho d’un Vietnam Rêvé" (Echo of a Dreamed Vietnam) will run from June 16 to October 24 at the Ursulines Museum in Macon, France. It focuses on three distinct periods of Mai Trung Thứ’'s life: his youth in Vietnam from 1906 to 1937; his stay in Macon, France from 1940 to 1942; and his time painting in France from 1938 to 1980. Mai Trung Thứ is considered one of the forefathers of modern Vietnamese painting, notable for blending eastern and western styles.
Mai Trung Thứ made national news earlier this year when his painting 'Portrait de Mademoiselle Phuong' sold for US$3.1 million, the highest price ever for a piece of Vietnamese art. Last month, his piece 'La Joconde' (Mona Lisa) sold at an auction for US$724,000 alongside a notable painting by Lê Phổ, which fetched US$1.1 million.
"Écho d’un Vietnam Rêvé" is opening with support from the artist’s daughter and in partnership with the Cernuschi Museum and the Museum of Asian Arts of Paris. It is said to contain many of the colorful works of women, children, and daily life the painter is famous for.
After studying at the Indochina School of Fine Arts in Hanoi, he spent the majority of his life in France. Despite his physical absence from Vietnam, an idyllic version of the country and its people were consistent themes in his paintings and drawings. The exhibition will also feature photographs of his life and other artifacts from his home.
Those in France interested in visiting the show can purchase tickets for EUR7.
[Photo via VietnamPlus]
