A monumental, yet remarkably tender and intimate, Mai Trung Thu’s Portrait of Mademoiselle Phuong stands as the most significant and largest painting by the artist to be offered at auction. Dating from the pivotal year of 1930, upon the artist’s graduation from the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine in Hanoi, this masterpiece, beautifully rendered in the oil medium, is exceptionally rare as the artist devoted himself to painting in silk for most of his career. First exhibited in Hanoi at the École upon its completion, the present lot was featured a year later at the prestigious 1931 Exposition Coloniale Internationale de Paris, announcing Mai Thu’s entrance into the European art world. An emblem of endearing beauty, Portrait of Mademoiselle Phuong was the first work by the artist that was exhibited and sold in Paris, signalling his critical acclaim and international recognition.

Poignantly, the beguiling portrait also captures Mai Thu’s deep admiration of its sitter, a noble lady rumoured to be the artist’s love interest. Encapsulating his affections for Ms. Phuong, this work is special within Mai Thu’s oeuvre, as there are only two known works painted of this subject. In the 1993 award-winning film The Scent of Green Papaya, Portrait of Mademoiselle Phuong evolves into a symbol of the modern woman, as the painting is witness to the romance unfolding between its characters. Since this movie feature, Portrait of Mademoiselle Phuong has remained unseen to the public eye and exemplifies the visual heights that make him one of the most celebrated artists in Vietnamese history.

《芳小姐的肖像》尺幅碩然，但畫面細膩動人、滿載柔情。在今年春季上拍的梅忠恕作品當中，本畫不僅尺幅最大，意義和價值亦是諸畫中之最。這幅作品出自1930年，時值梅忠恕事業生涯的關鍵一年。當年，他從河內中南半島美術學院畢業，正式踏上藝術之路。梅忠恕在事業生涯大部份時期均專注創作絹本作品，此畫卻以油彩為媒材，甚為罕見。本作面世後曾於河內中南半島美術學院展出，一年後再參展1931年巴黎「萬國殖民博覽會」，梅忠恕自此正式在歐洲藝壇登場。此畫是青春美麗的象徵，也是梅忠恕在巴黎展出及售出的第一幅作品，見證他在國際舞台上一鳴驚人、揚名海外的時刻。《芳小姐的肖像》售出後至今九十年，才於蘇富比春季拍賣再度揭開面紗。

《芳小姐的肖像》中的女子儀態端莊、雍容大雅，據聞是梅忠恕的心儀對象。這幅肖像畫反映出藝術家對畫中人的傾慕之情，此情卻不為世所認可，意境淒美動人。在梅忠恕的畢生創作中，只有兩幅畫以這位女子為主題，可見本作意義特殊。在1993年的得獎電影《青木瓜之味》中，此畫見證著故事人物的感情發展，成為現代女性的象徵。自從在電影中亮相以後，此畫一直隱沒於公眾視線之外。它體現了梅忠恕的巔峰創作成就，使他躍身為越南史上最受尊崇的藝術家之一。

Mai Thu’s Portrait de Mademoiselle Phuong plays a significant role in the iconic movie L’Odeur de la papaya verde (The Scent of the Green Papaya), a Vietnamese-language film directed by Tran Anh Hung in France in 1993. It won Tran Anh Hung the Camera d’Or for best feature film for a first-t.mes director at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival as well as the Academy Award for the best foreign film in the United States in 1994. It was also Vietnam’s first official nomination for the foreign language category at the Oscar’s in 1994. In the movie, Portrait of Mademoiselle Phuong hangs grandly as the largest painting in the pianist’s lounge, appearing in the narrative when the protagonist Miu comes of age. Phuong’s presence mirrors that of Miu, both matriarchs representing the feminine ideal and bringing strength and beauty to society.

1993年，法籍越南裔導演陳英雄在法國拍攝了一齣越南語電影《青木瓜之味》。梅忠恕的1930年作品《芳小姐的肖像》亦出現在這齣電影的鏡頭下，而且別具象徵意義。《青木瓜之味》是陳英雄親自導演的首部長片，勇奪1993年康城電影展金攝影機獎，翌年更獲提名美國奧斯卡金像獎最佳外語片，它亦是首部入圍角逐奧斯卡最佳外語片的越南電影。 在電影中，《芳小姐的肖像》掛在鋼琴家起居廳的牆上，尺寸遠遠大於其他畫。這幅畫在梅長大成人後才亮相於鏡頭前。兩人為社會貢獻勞力、增添美感，展現出女性在傳統家庭中是不可或缺的角色。

The model, Mademoiselle Phuong, was a young woman from the Hanoi aristocracy, known for her natural beauty and grace. It is said that the artist was in love with Ms. Phuong, and she with him. However, due to the restrictions of social class, and moral norms, their romantic relationship would be forbidden. The present lot recalls Pablo Picasso’s portraits of his golden muse Marie-Thérèse Walter, as it offers a powerful insight into the artist’s life during this important period.

本作出自梅忠恕事業生涯的重要時期，令人聯想起巴布羅・畢加索為其靈感女神瑪莉・德雷莎・沃特繪畫的肖像作品。藉著這幅肖像，觀者可以一探這位藝術家的個人經歷。畫中的年輕女子是梅忠恕生命中一位很重要的繆斯，名叫芳小姐，是河內一個貴族家庭的閨秀，以天生麗質和高雅姿儀為人所識。據聞，梅忠恕與芳小姐互相傾慕，可惜因為二人社會地位懸殊，在當時的道德規範下未能成為眷屬。

Exposition Coloniale Internationale de Paris (Paris Colonial Exhibition) in 1931, was a six-month long show that attracted a huge audience (there were 33 million entries into the exposition) from France and abroad. The 1931 Exposition was a turning point in the history of modern Vietnamese art, opening the doors in Europe for many Vietnam-born artists. A life-size reproduction of the Cambodian temple Angkor Wat housed the Indochine Pavilion, and the exhibition displaying the very best works by artists of the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine (EBAI) and French painters in Indochina.

Portrait de Mademoiselle Phuong hung amongst other revered works by the pioneering maestros such as Le Pho, Nguyen Nam Son and Nguyen Phan Chanh. Art critic Adolphe Tabarant praised the works of the Indochinese students in his review of the exhibition on September 1, 1931: [“Would it be excessive to think that the students often surpass the masters? […] Next to the indigenous art, an exhibition of French art inspired by Indochina enables us to establish some comparisons that are not flattering for the French artists”]

Mai Thu’s Portrait de Mademoiselle Phuong is one of the most significant and recognizable masterpieces in Vietnamese art history, often likened to Le Pho’s L’age heaureux (The Happy Age). Capturing the lyrical and romantic qualities typical of the early oil paintings of the École’s students, both works were well-received at the 1931 Exposition.

1931年的巴黎萬國殖民博覽會為期六個月，吸引大批國內外觀眾入場，參觀總人次多達3,300萬。巴黎萬國殖民博覽會為很多出生於越南的藝術家打開通往歐洲的大門，造就了越南藝術史上的分水嶺。中南半島地區的展館坐落於巴黎萬國殖民博覽會的場地中心，外形與柬埔寨吳哥窟的真實大小相若。館中有一層專門展出中南半島美術學院藝術家和中南半島法籍畫家的優秀作品。

今次上拍的《芳小姐的肖像》，當年與黎譜、阮南山、阮潘正等法國現代藝術先鋒的作品同場展出。藝評家阿道夫・塔巴朗（Adolphe Tabarant）在1931年9月1日的展覽回顧中，為學院學生美言道：「『學生通常青出於藍、勝過老師』這種想法是否太過分？[……] 在原住民藝術展的旁邊，是一個靈感源自中南半島的法國藝術展，若要比較起來，對法國藝術家而言並不是什麼光彩的事。」

梅忠恕《芳小姐的肖像》是越南藝術史上一幅令人耳熟能詳的名作，經常與黎譜的《幸福時光》相提並論。兩幅作品均帶有學院學生早期油畫中典型的抒情浪漫色彩，在1931年的博覽會上大受歡迎。