Vietnamese master's painting of women musicians fetches over 2 million USD

Mai Trung Thu's "The Concert," depicting five women playing music and singing, achieved the highest price at the Aguttes auction.

The painting garnered significant international attention at the Hommage a l'Art Moderne Vietnamien auction on 9/9, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Indochina Fine Arts College (1925-2025). It sold for 1.81 million euros (approximately 2.11 million USD), including taxes and fees.

Created in 1978 using ink and color on silk, "The Concert" is signed and dated in the lower right corner. It portrays five women in traditional ao dai, three of whom are playing traditional instruments: a bamboo flute, a dan tranh (zither), and a ty ba (lute). The other two appear to be singing along, their hands moving rhythmically with the music. The painting's bright colors evoke a joyful atmosphere.

"Le concert" (The Concert). Photo: Aguttes

"Le concert" (The Concert). Photo: Aguttes

Mai Trung Thu has several paintings of Vietnamese women that have reached million-dollar prices. In 4/2021, his "Portrait of Mademoiselle Phuong" sold for 3.1 million USD at Sotheby's, setting a record for the most expensive Vietnamese painting. However, since 2023, global economic challenges have impacted the prices of Vietnamese art on the international market. While the late artist's works have continued to appear in auctions, none achieved such impressive figures until "The Concert."

Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980) was a renowned figure in modern Vietnamese art in the early 20th century, graduating in the first class of the Indochina Fine Arts College (1925-1930). He is considered one of the "four European masters" of Vietnamese painting, alongside Le Pho, Vu Cao Dam, and Le Thi Luu. He spent most of his life and artistic career in France. His name is associated with silk paintings of women, children, and everyday life, all imbued with an East Asian perspective.

The Aguttes auction featured 27 works by prominent artists, including Le Pho, Vu Cao Dam, and Alix Ayme, a French artist who helped shape modern Indochinese art through lacquer painting. Le Pho's "La femme nue" (The Naked Woman) achieved the second-highest price at 1.37 million euros (1.61 million USD), including taxes and fees.

"The Naked Woman" was created around 1942 using ink and color on silk and is signed in the upper left corner. Photo: Aguttes

"The Naked Woman" was created around 1942 using ink and color on silk and is signed in the upper left corner. Photo: Aguttes

Another of Le Pho's works, "Paysage du Tonkin, Hanoi" (Landscape of Tonkin, Hanoi), secured the third-highest bid at 1.23 million euros (1.4 million USD), including taxes and fees. Le Auction House representatives noted that the results demonstrate the enduring appeal of Indochinese art, especially silk and lacquer paintings.