This rare lacquer painting was created in 1936, at this time Lê Phổ was a teacher at Albert Sarraut High School in Hanoi. A year later, he got a potentially life-changing opportunity when he chose France as his second home.
The boy and the golden bird. Estimate 120-150k EUR. Will be auctioned on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
In fact, the first thing we have to recognize is that this is a rare and valuable lacquer painting by Lê Phổ. Secondly, this is a painting with beautiful shaping, romantic theme, and very eye-catching visual; conveniently displayed in different luxurious spaces. It is only a pity that the painting was created in the period when the traditional Vietnamese lacquer material was in the process of discovering and exploring the language of modern painting, so after nearly 90 years the surface has been degraded.
However, due to all the above factors, the painting will still have easy liquidity. Therefore, right from the moment it was made public, the painting caused a stir among art lovers.
Despite the quiet art market; despite the economic depression, the opening sale of the painting ‘The boy and the golden bird’, 1936, lacquer, by Lê Phổ at the Art Research Paris Auction House, Thursday, March 16, 2023 is an interesting event, which received extensive attention but in silence. Collectors, investors calculate the falling point of the price; researchers analyze and dissect the authenticity and artistic value; art lovers are eagerly waiting to see if the painting will reach a new price record for Lê Phổ.
At first glance, ‘The boy and the golden bird’, 1936, lacquer, 69×55 cm make us see the similarities in language, style of visual… with some of Lê Phổ’s focal works painted on various materials in the 30s. Review some of his 1930s compositions such as ‘Tonkin landscape’, lacquer, 5-panel screen, early 1930s; ‘View from the top of the hill’, 1937; ‘The lady and the parrot’, 1938, silk… we see that the artistic value of ‘The boy and the golden bird’ is remarkable.
The 5-panel lacquer screen. Full, original before divided. The front is a painting of Lê Phổ. The back is a painting of Trịnh Hữu Ngọc.
The painting ‘View from the top of the hill’ auctioned at Christie’s Hong Kong, November 22, 2014, sold for 6,520,000 HKD (nearly 19.4 billion VND).
The painting ‘The lady and the parrot’ auctioned at Christie’s Hong Kong, July 10, 2020, sold for 4,925,000 HKD (nearly 14.7 billion VND).
This is the golden age of paintings bearing the impression of the first period of Lê Phổ. With lacquer, silk, and oil, he all left a special mark, creating an illustrious ‘Lê Phổ’ title that in the history of Vietnamese painting must be particularly noted.
Surveys from a few proper collectors (Hanoi area) showed that they were interested in this lacquer painting. With an estimated price of 120-150k EUR from the auction house, their purchase price point will be around 200-250k EUR (without fees). And if it’s higher, they’re not really ready. But this opinion is for reference only. Everything changes. All must wait until the auction on March 16, 2023…
There is a bit of a pity for ‘The boy and the golden bird’ because the auction time is not really favorable for a rare work of Lê Phổ. If counting only collectors in Vietnam, liquidity is not easy right now. About 1-2 years ago, this painting would certainly cause “turbulence” in the auction because consecutive bidding… would push the value up, and sometimes, exceeding the actual commercial value of the work.
Finally, it’s the old exclamation “this is a good time to buy good paintings at a good price…”
Written by Viet Art View
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