Mai Trung Thu

Mai Trung Thu, also known as Mai Thu, was a Vietnamese-French painter born in 1906 in An Dương, Hải Phòng. He was a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine in Hanoi and was known for his silk paintings with gouache. His work often depicted women, children, and daily life, and he was part of the first generation of Vietnamese artists to gain formal instruction in Western art techniques. Mai Thu's art celebrated the innocence of rural Vietnam and expressed nostalgia for the past. He settled in France in 1937 and became renowned for his paintings of doleful, lovely women. Throughout his career, Mai Thu participated in numerous Fine Arts Exhibitions in Paris and was an expert player of the đàn bầu, a one-stringed instrument. He also made a documentary recording Ho Chi Minh's visit to Paris in 1946. Mai Thu's legacy lives on through his contributions to modern Vietnamese art and the unique beauty captured in his silk paintings.