Mai Thu, « L’heure du thé à Hué (‘Tea Time in Hué’), 1937, or the conservatory-sanctuary

When Mai Thu painted this exceptional picture in 1937, he was already recognised by his peers and had acquired a public of collectors who had been drawn to his work, particularly since the Colonial Exhibition in Paris in 1931.

After graduating from the Hanoi School of Fine Arts in 1930, he taught in Hué, and 1937 was probably the most important year of his life. He left for France, where he continued his successful career.

The story of a painter is, by nature, better known than that of a man.

In this magnificent but sensitive oil on canvas, the painter bears witness to the man himself, Mai Trung Thu.

Mai Thu knows that there are no borders for an artist. But in his oil on canvas he condenses all the humanity of his homeland. A country from which he would never distance himself mentally and which would form the basis of his work in what would become his double overseas: scholars chatting, tea steaming to help concentration, a water pipe, a book (of poetry?). An attentive child. A young woman holding another child. Eight figures, if we can identify one, sketched in the upper right. Lush but dominant vegetation. An oasis of peace. A winter garden, almost a sanctuary. Hué. You can feel the gentleness of the Rivière des Parfums, which must flow peacefully a little further down.

In this very large (75.5 x 99 cm) oil on canvas, the painter works essentially with four tones (green, brown, white, black) in flat tones. Black structures the work, green and white lighten it, and brown unifies it.

Later, in France, the artist abandoned oil on canvas for gouache and ink on silk until the end of his life.

The work is well documented.

Dr Lê Thai and his wife, from Le Chesnay near Paris (their name and address are on the reverse of the canvas), bought it directly from Mai Thu, who told them it was the last painting he had done in Vietnam before leaving for France.

It was sold at Christie’s in Singapore in 1997 (lot 163, 30 March 1997), then at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong in 2008 (Philippe Ng Collection, 8 April 2008, lot 709), and I was delighted to accompany it as an expert on each occasion.

The work also featured prominently in the exhibition “Visions & Enchantment” at the Singapore Art Museum (8 June – 29 August 2000, catalogue plate 10, illustrated page 83).

Today it is one of the jewels of the Philippe Damas Collection.

Jean-François Hubert