Legends of Vietnamese Art from Findlay to Borynack
May 2024 | Hong Kong
Lê Phổ (1907-2001), ‘Les Chrysanthèmes Blancs’ (detail). Estimate: HK$400,000 – HK$600,000
For over two decades, James R. Borynack was at the helm of Findlay Galleries, the art gallery that brought Vietnamese painters Lê Phổ and Vũ Cao Đàm’s art to the American market.
In late May 2024, 12 works acquired directly from the two artists from the Findlay Galleries Collection will be offered Legends of Vietnamese Art from Findlay to Borynack in Hong Kong. Here, James reminisces about working with the galleries’ then-owner, Wally Findlay, as well as with Lê Phổ and Vũ Cao Đàm.
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I trained as a fashion designer but after working for seven years, I realised I did not want to spend my life in the fashion industry. I was more interested in art, artists and the different periods that influenced and inspired them. After meeting Wally Findlay, I became interested in the unique and exciting business of art. In 1972, I joined Wally Findlay Galleries International as an art consultant.
James R. Borynack & Wally Findlay signing of agreement to purchase franchise of WFG NY in Chicago 1980.
Photo courtesy the Findlay Galleries.
Today, Findlay Galleries – which I acquired in 1998 and united with David Findlay Jr Gallery in 2016 – are the leaders in representing Lê Phổ and Vũ Cao Đàm. We still work closely with their families and we are deeply proud of what we have brought to the global market over the past 75 years.
I had the great pleasure of working closely with Lê Phổ and Vũ Cao Đàm in the late 1970s when I was Senior Vice President of Wally Findlay Galleries International. We would see each other regularly, usually in Paris – where the two artists lived since the 1930s – as we prepared exhibitions for our network of
Lê Phổ (1907-2001), ‘Femmes aux Fleurs’. Estimate: HK$500,000 – HK$800,000
Lê Phổ married his traditional Asian training with his French Beaux Arts schooling to create a unique style of enchanting compositions, with Asian figures and colourful vases of flowering bouquets. Findlay Galleries had been buying and selling Lê Phổ’s art since the late 1950s. By the mid-1960s, the artist agreed to become near-exclusive with our galleries in the US and Paris, with yearly exhibitions in our New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills and Palm Beach galleries.
Remembering Wally Findlay
Wally Findlay with Lê Phổ. Photo: Findlay Galleries.
Wally Findlay with Vũ Cao Đàm at Findlay Galleries, Paris. Photo: Ms Yannick Vu.
In the early 1960s, Wally Findlay’s advice for Lê Phổ and Vũ Cao Đàm to break into the American market was simple: keep the motif and style, but use larger canvases, brighter colours and modern compositions.
The two artists—who were already eminent names in France—quickly gained new admirers and collectors following a series of exhibitions in New York.
Vũ Cao Đàm (1908-2000), ‘Composition’. Estimate: HK$400,000 – HK$600,000
Vũ Cao Đàm always had a mystery to his creativity. He was also trained in classic Asian painting and sculpture, but he had a more contemporary grasp. He felt the modern vibe of the School of Paris painters and floated his images in a cloud of colours – almost in the manner of Marc Chagall. But his devotion to his homeland and Vietnamese heritage was a constant, and at the forefront of his life in France.
Lê Phổ and Vũ Cao Đàm were good friends until the end of their lives. Vũ Cao Đàm later moved his family to a wonderful small villa in the South of France, while Lê Phổ lived in Paris with his eclectic studio and friends. I stayed in direct contact with each of them until their passing.
Vũ Cao Đàm (1908-2000), ‘Mère et Enfant’. Estimate: HK$200,000 – HK$300,000
Both Lê Phổ’s and Vũ Cao Đàm’s works are now highly regarded internationally. They are collected by museums and private collectors, and sought after by the most important auction houses.
What advice would I give someone starting their own collection? For both first-time buyers and seasoned collectors alike: know what you like, learn more about why, and if you can, BUY it.
Source: Bonhams
