HONG KONG — The painting Les Trois Femmes (Three Ladies), created by renowned Vietnamese painter Nguyễn Gia Trí (1908 – 1993), who is celebrated as one of the 'Four Greats' of Vietnamese painting, was auctioned in Hong Kong, fetching over HK$16 million (about US$2 million).

The painting Les Trois Femmes (Three Ladies) by Vietnamese painter Nguyễn Gia Trí.

At the auction on Saturday, the oil-on-canvas piece, painted in 1934, achieved a final price of HK$16,105,000 – an impressive four times higher than its estimated value of HK$4 million.

The painting was among the highlights of the Christie’s live auction A Quest for Eternity: The Philippe Damas Collection, which showcased artworks reflecting the essence of Indochina during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with a particular focus on Việt Nam.

At the auction, another artwork by Nguyễn Gia Trí, Bateaux dans la baie d’Halong (Fishing Boats in Hạ Long Bay), was sold for HK$504,000 (nearly US$65,000).

Other renowned Vietnamese master painters, including Vũ Cao Đàm (1908–2000), Mai Trung Thứ (1906 – 1980), Lê Phổ (1907 – 2001), and Nguyễn Phan Chánh (1892 – 1984), whose works have achieved million-dollar prices at previous auctions, also had pieces featured in the sale.

The painting L’heure du thé à Hué (Tea Time in Hue) by Mai Trung Thứ was sold for HK$4,032,000 (US$518,000) at the auction.

Additionally, works by renowned painters such as Tô Ngọc Vân (1906 – 1954), Bùi Xuân Phái (1920 – 1988), Nguyễn Sáng (1923 – 1988), Trần Phúc Duyên (1923 – 1993), Lưu Văn Sìn (1905 – 1983), Trần Văn Hà (1911 – 1974), Đỗ Đức Thuận (1898 – 1972), Nguyễn Đỗ Cung (1912 – 1977), Nguyễn Tiến Chung (1914 – 1976) and Thang Trần Phềnh (1895 – 1973) garnered significant attention from art collectors on Saturday evening.

The collection also included paintings by Victor Tardieu (1870 – 1937), a pivotal figure in the development of Vietnamese modern painting. Tardieu founded the l'École des Beaux-Arts d'Indochine (now the University of Fine Arts) in the capital, which nurtured many of Việt Nam’s most celebrated painters.

Works by Joseph Inguimberty (1896 – 1971), a French artist who taught at the l'École des Beaux-Arts d'Indochine for more than 20 years, were also featured.

Nguyễn Gia Trí, born in 1908 in the Chương Mỹ District of Hà Nội, who graduated from the Indochina College of Fine Arts in 1936, is considered one of the 'Four Greats' of Vietnamese painting, along with Tô Ngọc Vân, Nguyễn Tường Lân and Trần Văn Cẩn.

A pioneer in lacquer art, Trí blended traditional East Asian cultural elements with Vietnamese materials and Western painting techniques, leaving an enduring legacy in modern art.

The painting La paysanne (The Peasant) by Victor Tardieu was sold for HK$3,150,000 (US$405,000) at the auction.

Recognised by the Ministry of Culture in 1989 for shaping modern Vietnamese visual arts, he was posthumously awarded the prestigious Hồ Chí Minh Prize for Literature and Art in 2012. Two of his lacquer masterpieces, Vườn Xuân Trung Nam Bắc (Spring Garden of the Central, South and North Regions) and the eight-panel Bình Phong (Standing Screen), are now national treasures.

In addition to the piece Les Trois Femmes, his painting Villageoises parmi des bananiers (Villagers among Banana Trees) was sold for $1.08 million by French auction house Drouot Estimations in December 2022. VNS