HÀ NỘI — A silk painting by Nguyễn Nam Sơn (1890-1973), one of the leading artists in modern Vietnamese fine art, was auctioned at 205,000 euros.

The auction was held by the Aguttes company at the Drouot auction centre in Paris, France, on March 26.

Mẫu Tử (Maternity) by Lê Phổ.

The painting, titled Thôn Nữ Bắc Kỳ (Peasants of Tonkin), is an ink and watercolour work on silk, measuring 65x52.5cm, with the painter’s signature on the upper right and lower left and the title on the lower left. It was auctioned at an initial price of 35,000 euros and was expected to be sold for 50,000 euros at the most. The painting is believed to have been made in 1935.

The painter, whose real name is Nguyễn Văn Thọ, was a co-initiator of the Indochine Fine Arts College in Hà Nội with Victor Tardieu (1870-1937).

Chuyện Trò (Conservation) by Vũ Cao Đàm was sold at 170,000 euros.

At the same auction, 18 other paintings by Vietnamese artists were sold at high prices.

A lacquer painting, titled Thiếu Nữ Mơ Mộng (A Dreamy Young Girl), by Lê Phổ (1907-2001), 60x91cm, was sold at 100,000 euros, though it had been expected to be sold at 30,000 euros at the most.

Another painting by Lê Phổ, titled Mẫu Tử (Maternity), ink and watercolour on silk, measuring 59.5x48cm, was sold at 300,000 euros, while his Thiếu Nữ Bên Hoa Hồng (A Young Girl by a Rose), also ink and watercolour on silk, 41x32.2cm, was sold at 160,000 euros.

Thiếu Nữ Mơ Mộng (A Dreamy Young Girl) by Lê Phổ.

Both the paintings had been expected to get a maximum of 200,000 euros.

Vũ Cao Đàm’s (1908-2000) painting, titled Chuyện Trò (Conservation), ink and watercolour on silk, 60x45cm, was sold at 170,000 euros though it was expecting to fetch 50,000 euros.

A painting by Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), titled Khoảnh Khắc Âm Nhạc (Instant Music), ink and watercolour on silk, was sold at 230,000 euros. — VNS