A masterpiece painting by renowned Vietnamese artist Mai Trung Thu has sold for more than $2 million at a prestigious auction in Paris, marking a significant milestone in the international art market for Vietnamese modern art. The work, titled "Le Concert" (The Concert), depicts five women engaged in musical performance and fetched €1.81 million ($2.11 million) at the "Hommage à l'Art Moderne Vietnamien" (Tribute To Modern Vietnamese Art) auction held by independent auction house Aguttes.
The special auction was organized to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Indochina College of Fine Arts, which is now known as the Vietnam University of Fine Arts. The event attracted significant international attention from collectors worldwide, with Thu's painting becoming the centerpiece of the celebration.
"Le Concert" showcases Thu's masterful technique in ink-and-color-on-silk, created in 1978. The artwork portrays three women dressed in traditional Vietnamese ao dai playing traditional instruments including a bamboo flute, dan tranh (a plucked zither), and dan ty ba (pipa). Two additional figures are depicted singing and moving their hands rhythmically to the music. The painting is notable for its vibrant color palette and Thu's distinctive style that blends Eastern aesthetics with modern artistic sensibilities.
Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980) holds a distinguished place in Vietnamese art history as a key figure in the early modern Vietnamese art movement. He was a graduate of the first class of the Indochina College of Fine Arts, studying there from 1925 to 1930. Thu is widely recognized as one of the "four European masters" of Vietnamese painting, alongside Le Pho, Vu Cao Dam, and Le Thi Luu. Having spent most of his artistic career in France, Thu became renowned for his silk paintings that captured women, children, and scenes of daily life through an East Asian perspective.
This sale continues Thu's impressive track record at international auctions, though his works have experienced some fluctuation in recent years. In 2021, his painting "Chan Dung Co Phuong" (Portrait of Miss Phuong) achieved a record-breaking $3.1 million at a Sotheby's auction, representing the highest price ever paid for a Vietnamese painting. However, since 2023, the global economic downturn has impacted the international value of Vietnamese art, including Thu's works.
The Aguttes auction featured 27 works by various artists who contributed to the development of modern Indochinese art. Other notable sales included Le Pho's "La femme nue" (Nude Woman), an ink and color on silk work with the artist's signature in the upper left corner from circa 1942, which sold for €1.37 million ($1.61 million). Another Le Pho piece, "Paysage du Tonkin, Hanoi" (Landscape of Tonkin, Hanoi), achieved €1.23 million ($1.4 million). The auction also included works by French painter Alix Ayme, who played a significant role in developing modern Indochinese art through lacquer painting techniques.
According to a representative from Le Auction House, these strong prices reflect the enduring international appeal of Indochinese art, particularly silk and lacquer paintings. The success of this auction demonstrates the continued global interest in Vietnamese modern art and its growing recognition in the international art market, despite recent economic challenges affecting the broader art world.
