Includes 'Inventing Tradition: a Vietnamese Painter in France', a text by Anne Fort.

This catalogue is published in conjunction with 'Mai-Thu, Inventing Tradition – A Vietnamese Painter in France', an exhibition held at Almine Rech Paris between September 7 and October 8, 2022.

Mai-Thu (1906-1980) is one of the pioneers of modern Vietnamese painting. Born in Indochina during the French Colonization, he studied at the Fine Arts College of Indochina in Hanoi, graduating in its first class in 1930. The exhibition held at Almine Rech Paris offered a representative group of thirty artworks from the personal collections of members of the artist’s family. This selection covers the period from 1941 to 1976, reflecting an essential part of the artist’s French career. Through his favorite themes — women, children, family, tradition — the exhibition includes some works with many characteristic elements of Mai-Thu’s style, which constantly evolved throughout his career. The artist was also very engaged for Peace and produced many paintings during the devastating period of Vietnam War until the end of it and the final reunification of North and South Vietnam (La Rencontre, 1974).