Mai Trung Thứ | 枚中栨 (梅忠恕)

French Private Collection, Mâcon

Quai des enchères, Mâcon, 2014

Private Asian Collection (acquired from the above)

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法國私人收藏

Quai des enchères，馬孔， 2014年

亞洲私人收藏(購自上述來源

Mai-Jeu «écho d'un Vietnam rêvé», Musée des Ursulines, Mâcon, 2021, cat. no. 53.

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「枚栨—夢中越南的回聲」，Ursulines博物館，馬孔，2021年，編號53

After leaving Vietnam for France in 1937 and later joining the French army, Mai Trung Thứ began to paint a series of portraits of the famous local aristocrats while stationed in Macon in the 1940s. The "Macon period" was a turning point in his career. He abandoned oil painting to devote himself exclusively to the traditional medium of silk. Painted with a fluid, refined technique, this portrait of a young blonde lady testifies to Mai-Thu unrivaled talent for depicting feminine beauty and youth with delicacy. Mai Thu renders subtle shades of green, orange, brown, and yellow to create a sober tone typical of his early silk works and the delicate brushstrokes on the face of the lady showcase the artist’s considerable skills of verisimilitude. Portrait of a young blonde lady bears all the characteristics of Mai Thu’s silk works of the early period.

The present lot was exhibited at Écho d'un Vietnam Rêvé (Echo of a Dreamed Vietnam), the artist’s first retrospective, which was held by the Ursulines Museum, in Mâcon, in partnership with the Cernuschi Museum, Paris and overseen by Mai Trung Thu’s sole daughter Madame Lan Mai. This seminal exhibition and institutional recognition took place in 2021. In October 2024, The Musée Cernuschi Paris will organize an exhibition for a trio for Mai Trung Thứ, Lê Phổ and Vũ Cao Đàm. 

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枚中栨於1937 年離開越南前往法國發展， 其後加入法國軍隊，1940 年代駐紮在梅肯。枚氏在這段期間開始與當地士紳來往，並展開一系列名門貴族肖像畫作。「梅肯時期」更是枚氏創作生涯重要轉折點，藝術家放棄油彩，回歸東方傳統絹本媒材，以淺彩描繪西方人肖像。此作《金髮少女》曼妙優美，筆觸細膩，展現少女青春洋溢之氣息。藝術家使用綠色、橘色、棕色和黃色渲染出微妙層次，營造出他早期絹本作品中典型的沉穩色調。女子寫實逼真的臉龐和髮絲的筆觸展現了藝術家高超的技巧。具備枚氏早期絹本作品之特徵。

本作曾於2021年一場非常重要的枚中栨回顧展「夢迴越南」展出。這是枚中栨的首場大型回顧展，由法國馬孔市烏爾蘇林博物館主辦、巴黎賽努奇美術館聯合策劃，更獲枚中栨的獨女Lan Mai女士監督策展過程。巴黎賽努奇博物館亦將於 2024 年 10 月為枚中栨、黎譜和武高談舉辦三人群展。