A RESULT OF OVER 4.2 MILLION EUROS INCLUDING VAT
Our 42nd auction dedicated to Asian Painters, on 7 March 7 2024, totaled €4,245,914 million euros, while 2024 celebrates the centenary of the creation of the Indochina School of Fine Arts by Victor Tardieu. The catalogue unveiled, among others, the Collection of Nguyễn Hữu Hợp and Nguyễn Nguyệt Nga, close associates of Bảo Đại, the last emperor of Vietnam.
“This 42nd auction pays a beautiful tribute to the Indochina School of Fine Arts: we sold 87% of the lots, exceeding many estimates by a large margin. These results testify to the dynamism of international buyers. Through their loyal participation in our Parisian events, they have reaffirmed their appreciation for the quality of the artworks we offer. With a catalogue comprising 34 lots, we totaled over €4.2 million.” – Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, Expert
TOP 5
Lot 12 – Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), “En plein air”: 828,420 €
Lot 7 – Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), “Portrait de Madame Nguyễn Nguyệt Nga”: 413,720 €
Lot 14 – Lê Phổ (1907-2001), “Femme aux oeillets”: 407,340 €
Lot 20 – Lương Xuân Nhị (1914-2006), “Jeune femme au tricot”: 311,640 €
Lot 16 – Vũ Cao Đàm (1908-2000), “Marguerite au jardin jouant avec les poussins”: 260,600 €
MAI TRUNG THỨ (1909-1980), ARTIST HIGHLIGHTED BY AGUTTES
Since its first auction dedicated to Asian Painters in 2014, Aguttes has been bringing to light the work of Mai Trung Thứ, which has long remained confidential. During this 42nd event, the 10 works by the artist totaled €2,214,674.
Bidders fought for long minutes for this artwork created in the early 1940s, En plein air. €828,420 rewarded this ink on silk piece that exalts the beauty of Mai Trung Thứ’s models. While the Far Eastern influence permeates this composition, the artist also draws inspiration from European art. While he distinguished himself with fashion illustrations in specialized Vietnamese magazines, the attire worn by the young women also references the wet drapery of Greek statuary. The movement, particularly the twisting of the body along a serpentine line, echoes the Italian Mannerists of the 16th century.
MAI TRUNG THỨ (1906-1980), En plein air, circa 1940-1945
Encre et couleurs sur soie, signée en bas à gauche, titrée au dos
73 x 53,8 cm
PROVENANCE: Collection privée, Paris (acquis lors d’une exposition à Paris, circa 1946)
Collection privée, France (par descendance) Vente [34] Aguttes, 2 juin 2022, lot 220
Collection française
Sold 828 420€
The collection of Mr. Nguyễn Hữu Hợp and his wife realized €641,745. The Portrait of Madame Nguyễn Nguyệt Nga, painted in 1950 by Mai Trung Thứ, fetched €413,720; it is the second highest bid of this auction. Living between France and Vietnam from 1948 onwards, Nguyễn Hữu Hợp and Nguyễn Nguyệt Nga, close to Bảo Đại, the last emperor of Vietnam, formed friendships with several illustrious Vietnamese artists, including Mai Trung Thứ, Vũ Cao Đàm, Lê Thị Lựu, and her husband Ngô Thế Tân. Concerned with supporting these artists in their work, they commissioned several works from them, which remained in the family collection until today. The portrait of Madame Nguyễn Nguyệt Nga is therefore a commission, an unusual exercise for the artist. This work, imbued with great sensitivity, expresses the softness and feminine beauty in all its simplicity. The artist lends extreme grace to this composition, thus immortalizing the features of his friend, collector, and patron.
MAI TRUNG THỨ (1906-1980), Portrait de Madame Nguyễn Nguyệt Nga,1950
Encre et couleur sur soie, signée et datée en haut à gauche
61 x 46 cm – 12 1/2 x 18 1/8 in.
PROVENANCE : Collection de Nguyễn Hữu Hợp et Nguyễn Nguyệt Nga
Collection particulière, région parisienne (par descendance du précédant vers 1965-1970)
Sold 413 720€
LÊ PHÔ (1907-2001), BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN EAST AND WEST
Femme aux œillets, hailed at €407,340, demonstrates how Lê Phổ offers us a perfect syncretism between the traditional silk ink painting of his homeland and Western influences, particularly Italian ones, in this work. The artist, who chose France as his adopted land, draws inspiration here from Italian primitives while retaining techniques and inspirations from Vietnamese art. In this scene, the painter creates a poignant serenity by playing with color blocks, a fine line, a serpentine curve, a three-quarter portrait, hinting at references from the Quattrocento.
LÊ PHỔ (1907-2001), Femme aux oeillets
Encre et couleur sur soie, signée en haut à droite, titrée et numérotée au verso
64,1 x 44,9 cm – 25 1/4 x 17 3/4 in.
PROVENANCE : Collection particulière, Casablanca (acquis lors de l’exposition de 1942)
Collection particulière, sud-ouest de la France (par descendance du précédent)
Sold 407 340€
An oil on canvas, this time, a painting titled Fleurs, also thrilled enthusiasts and fetched €191,380.
LÊ PHỔ (1907-2001), Fleurs
Huile sur toile, signée en bas à gauche
101 x 65.5 cm – 39 3/4 x 25 3/4 in.
PROVENANCE : Wally F Galleries, New York, Inv. no. 42266
Collection privée, Etats-Unis (acquis auprès du précédent)
Collection privée
Sold 191 380 €
AN EXCLUSIVE WORK IN THE MARKET, JEUNE FEMME AU TRICOT BY LƯƠNG XUÂN NHỊ.
The bidders rewarded the modernity in Lương Xuân Nhị’s artistic production, a work with a unique and personal character. Soaring to €311,640, an unpublished oil on the market, Jeune femme au tricot, unveils a palette of intense and vibrant colors. Born in Hanoi in 1914, the artist occupies a major place within the Vietnamese artistic sphere of the 20th century. He joined the Indochina School of Fine Arts in 1932. During his training, he notably attended classes by the French artist Inguimberty, whose influence is perceptible in Jeune femme au tricot, presented last March 7th. Remaining faithful to the precepts received from Victor Tardieu, he chose, from the 1940s onwards, to transmit this expertise and joined the teaching staff of the school.
LƯƠNG XUÂN NHỊ (1914-2006), Jeune femme au tricot
Huile sur toile, signée en haut à gauche
61 x 46 cm
PROVENANCE : Collection particulière française (acquis vers Saïgon en 1950 et rapporté en France)
Collection particulière, Sud-ouest de la France (transmis du précédent en 1975)
Sold: 311 640 €
VŨ CAO ĐÀM (1908- 2000), RENOWNED PORTRAITIST KEEN ON GENRE SCENES
Far beyond its high estimate, this painting by Vũ Cao Đàm depicts a scene of family life: Marguerite, the artist’s great-niece, plays with a hen and chicks in a garden. Sold for €260,600, this artwork immortalizes a genre scene taking place in Béziers, probably during the summer of 1951. The roosters symbolize both bravery, courage, and masculine virility, while the hens and chicks could represent for the artist the family life, an illustration of the values of Vietnamese society.
VŨ CAO ĐÀM (1908-2000) Marguerite au jardin jouant avec les poussins
Encre et couleurs sur soie, signée en bas à droite
55 x 43 cm – 21 5/8 x 16 7/8 in.
PROVENANCE: Collection du docteur Nguyen Van Tung, ami de l’artiste rencontré dans les années 1930
à Paris (acquis en août 1956, puis transmis par descendance)
Collection particulière, France (du précédant en 2000)
Sold: 260 600 €
“In 2014, ten years ago, Aguttes discovered in Paris the work ‘Le Thé’ by Lê Phổ (one of the students of that first class). The auction house decided to give it special visibility, which allowed it to achieve a fair selling price and which was the catalyst for the awakening of a market dormant since the mid-20th century.
As announced by Béatrice de Rochebouët in her article in Le Figaro dated February 22, 2024: ‘On March 7, an auction of Vietnamese modern art paintings at Aguttes will set the trend for this young market.’ I can only rejoice at the enthusiasm shown today by buyers and collectors, coming from Asia or elsewhere, for this delicate art.”
– Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, expert
Upcoming auction in preparation
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
For more information or to include a lot in our upcoming auctions, please contact:
Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier – Expert
+33 1 41 92 06 49 – reynier@aguttes.com
Source: Aguttes
