Vietnam's most valuable paintings
A list of Vietnamese artists that have created the most valuable paintings sold internationally.
Le Pho (1907-2001)
Le Pho settled in France in 1937 and spent the remaining years of his life there. However, his paintings depict the scenery of Vietnam, family settings and portraits of women in ao dai. They often evoke the influence of post impressionism. In September 1993, Le Pho gave Vietnam Fine Arts Museum 20 of his paintings.
The Purple Curtain
His works are highly appreciated at the Sotheby's Fine Arts Auction in Hong Kong. In April 2012, his painting Le Rideau Mauve (The Purple Curtain) became the highest-priced work of Vietnamese art sold at auction when it garnered HKD2.9 million (USD374,000). Previously, another of his paintings, 'Nostalgie', was sold at SGD360,000 (USD288,138) at Sotheby's Singapore in 2009.
Nostalgie
In the same year, Paysage du Tonkin (Northern Scenery) was also sold at HDK2,060,000 (USD265,661). This is one of his rare works on lacquer. Le Pho is well-known for his gouache and ink on silk works.
Nguyen Phan Chanh (1892-1984)
Nguyen Phan Chanh was a master in Vietnamese silk painting. He was invited to lecture at many universities including Buoi University and Hanoi University of Fine Arts in 1955. He left behind about 170 paintings. He is also the artist with highest number of paintings on display at Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.
The Rice Seller
In 2013, before the 1932 painting La Marchande de Riz (The Rice Seller) was put up on a weekend auction by Christie’s International in Hong Kong, it was mistakenly valued at just USD75 by a trainee as a Chinese work because the artist signed his name in Chinese characters. The specialists then recognised the artist's signature and re-valued the painting.
It sold for HKD3.03 million (USD390,000) at auction, beating Le Pho's The Purple Curtain to be the highest-priced work of Vietnamese art sold at auction.
Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980)
Mai Trung Thu or Mai Thu is a well-known artist of early 20th century. He was one of the graduates of the 1st class of the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine in Hanoi.
His main subjects were women, children and daily life with some traditional Vietnamese art influences. He had participated in many exhibitions in the Europe, helping introduce Vietnamese arts to other countries.
Gathering at the Pavilion
In April, Sotheby's Fine Arts Auction in Hong Kong sold the painting, Fille et garcon avec maman (Mother and Children), at the price of HKD525,000 (USD67,705). In May, the 'Gathering at the Pavilion' was sold for HKD990,000 (USD128,145) at auction by Christie's Hong Kong.
