The Colossus - Nguyen (?) Mai Thu - Oil On Canvas Signed - Vietnam - Indochina - Halong

Nguyen (?) Mai Thu “The Colossus” This painter remains a mystery. His works, initially attributed to Mai Trung Thu in his youthful production before his departure for France in 1943, being rejected by his family, were reattributed to a certain Nguyen Mai Thu. This new attribution seems very questionable, if not fanciful because no one knows the slightest biographical element of this character and the signature of his paintings never included the surname Nguyen or the initial N. This name of Nguyen Mai Thu appeared for the first time on sale in 2017 and can be easily picked up from now on with each appearance of a new painting bearing this signature. In any case, the very European style of these paintings suggests that he was formed through contact with French teachers, probably within the Hanoi School of Fine Arts, given the location of his landscapes. His production, concerning only oils on canvas, is mostly located in Tonkin and sometimes dated, between 1933 and 1950. To be continued...