In Vietnamese art history, Mai Trung Thu discovering and visiting often the original Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci at the Louvre, from his stay in Paris in 1937 to 1974, the date of execution of his own La Joconde (Mona Lisa). Undoubtedly, he scrutinised this masterpiece in all the lights of day, in all seasons, indulging in a continuous and attentive observation.

A piety.

Mai Trung Thu is 68 years old, at the peak of his art (widely recognised), and yet, like a student in a workshop, he launches into the reproduction of the most famous painting in the world.