Known for his finely drawn, richly colored, and inherently narrative silk paintings, Mai Trung Thu is one of the four overseas masters of modern Vietnamese art. Among the first graduates of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Indochine, Mai Thu was a classmate of Le Pho and Nguyen Phan Chanh, one year earlier than To Ngoc Van and Vu Cao Dam.

Similar to his fellow artists, Mai Thu’s silk paintings typically depict women and children engaged in daily activities. His unique painting style lies in the bold colors that illustrate Vietnamese traditional clothing and surroundings and his capabilities of giving a sense of narration. One would find painterly scenes such as women playing musical instruments, reading books, posing leisurely gestures, and children playing with grandparents. Some of his silk paintings intentionally appropriate iconic oil paintings from Western art history, such as Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Ingre’s nude, etc. Many of his works have been turned into reproductions in prints and illustration books, which contribute to the introduction of Vietnamese culture to the international audience.

Before he moved to Paris in 1937, Mai Thu taught drawing at the Lycée Français in Hue and learned how to perform the traditional Vietnamese monochord instrument, doc-huyen. Music has remained a life-long passion for him - he continued to practice classical Vietnamese music throughout his life and would play Vietnamese records while painting. Additionally, he was also interested in filmmaking. In the late 1940s, he made a film reporting on the Fontainebleau Conference during President Ho Chi Minh’s visit to Paris, and later a documentary film on the “Silk Painting” technique. In a way, Mai Thu’s diverse practice of various art forms has shaped his painting language that is at once provocative and engaging.