Mai Trung Thứ

Mai Trung Thứ, born in 1906 in the village of Ro Nha, Kien An, Haiphong (now part of An Dương district, Hải Phòng, Vietnam), was a notable Vietnamese painter known for his silk paintings that captured women, children, and the essence of daily life. Coming from a distinguished family, his father, Mai Trung Cat, was a high-ranking mandarin. Mai Trung Thứ attended the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine in Hanoi, from which he graduated in 1930 as part of the first class, alongside artists like Le Pho. His early works in Vietnam, from 1906 to 1937, celebrated folk themes and the innocence of rural Vietnamese life.

In 1937, Mai Trung Thứ moved to France to participate in an exhibition and decided to stay there for the rest of his life, passing away in Clichy-la-Garenne on October 10, 1980. In France, he became known for his paintings of doleful, lovely women and continued to explore traditional Vietnamese motifs through a Western lens. He was also an accomplished player of the đàn bầu, a traditional Vietnamese one-stringed instrument. His works were featured in various exhibitions in Paris, and he held solo exhibitions on themes like "Children of Mai Thu" and "Women in Mai Thu's Eyes," showcasing his nostalgic and poetic view of Vietnam from afar.