Top-lot status was awarded to “Les Fleuristes” by Lê Pho (French/Vietnamese, 1907-2001), 1973, oil on canvas, 38½ by 51¾ inches, which far surpassed its $120/180,000 estimate to make $371,200.
Review by Kiersten Busch
NEW YORK CITY — On July 21, Freeman’s conducted an intimate, 15-lot auction titled The Vietnamese Modernists, which spotlighted key artists Lê Pho and Vũ Cao Đàm, among several others. Raphael Chatroux, head of the sale, commented, “We are very happy and proud of this result. The low estimate was above $400,000 and, buyer’s premium included, the sale achieved $1.2 million, which is fantastic! All but one lot sold, and most of the oils at least doubled their estimate. Most had at least two to three phone bidders, and we had eight on the top lot.”
Chatroux also shared that the majority of bidders were either on the phone or online, with most tuning in from Southeast Asia, although they “also had strong bidding from Europe and even America,” he added. “All [lots] were fresh to market and came with a certificate of authenticity, which was the reassurance collectors needed,” Chatroux explained further.
The top lot was a 1973 oil on canvas by Pho titled “Les Fleuristes.” Double-signed with Chinese characters and “Le Pho,” the painting was accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Findlay Galleries and will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist’s work. The painting sold for $371,200, blooming far past its $120/180,000 estimate.
“Dans le Jardin” by Lê Pho (French/Vietnamese, 1907-2001), 1963, oil on silk laid down to board, 18 by 25½ inches, had extensive provenance and was bid to $153,600 ($40/60,000).
Five additional works in the sale were done by Pho, and “Les Fleuristes” was followed at $153,600 by “Dans le Jardin,” a 1963 oil on silk laid down to board which depicted three young women in a flowering garden. It had extensive provenance, beginning with the artist’s studio, then Findlay Galleries, a private collection, Arthur James Galleries (Delray Beach, Fla.) and, finally, a private collection in Nashville, from which it was consigned for the sale.
Also by Pho in oil om canvas, the circa 1976 “Les Renoncules, Fond Jaune” ($57,600), “Roses au Vase Bleu” ($38,400), “Renoncules dans un Vase Blanc” ($35,200) and the 1975 “Les Renoncules” all found new homes.
Vũ Cao Đàm was represented by five lots, led by two separate paintings that both realized $89,600. “Le Printemps” was a 1983 oil on canvas depicting a man and woman among flowers, while “Le Serment” was a 1955 oil on panel showing a prince talking to a woman in a window with a horse in the background. The former had provenance to the artist’s Paris studio, Findlay Galleries, a private collection in Tequesta, Fla., and a private collection in Cincinnati, while the latter was acquired from the artist’s Vence, France, studio by the private collection which consigned it. Both works were signed “Vu cao dam.”
“Deux Jeunes Filles” by Vũ Cao Đàm (French/Vietnamese, 1908-2000), 1958, oil on canvas, 21¾ by 15 inches, had provenance to Newman Galleries and a private collection, both based in Philadelphia; the work sold for $76,800 ($30/50,000).
Two more of Đàm’s oil on canvas works included figures: “Deux Jeunes Filles” and “Le Jeune Famille,” both oil paintings on canvas. “Deux Jeunes Filles,” done in 1958, had provenance to Newman Galleries in Philadelphia, and was then acquired directly from the gallery by a private Philadelphia collection. It surpassed its $30/50,000 estimate to make $76,800. “Le Jeune Famille,” which also surpassed its estimates to realize $64,000, was done in 1960 and was authenticated by Marie-Claire Yannick- Vũ, the daughter of the artist, for this sale.
Only one of Đàm’s landscapes was offered, and it was bid to $576. “Vue de Saint-Paul-de-Vence” was a 1971 colored lithograph with provenance to a private collection in Massachusetts which was signed, dated and numbered “123/150” in pencil.
Two more landscapes sold, including “Philippine Landscape” by Fernando Amorsolo, which bloomed for $83,200, more than doubling its $40,000 high estimate. Done in oil on panel, the work was signed “F. Amorsolo” and located to “Manila” lower left. Amorsolo’s work was followed by a pair of Twentieth Century Philippine School works, titled “Manila City Hall” and “Seascape,” which were bid to $1,280. According to catalog notes, “Both works bear dedications on the reverse: ‘To Mr and Mrs Haley Pence / A remembrance from Mr and Mrs Fabian H. Roxas / Sta. Cruz, Manila, Philippines.’”
“Hanoi Street,” 2014, oil on canvas, 59 by 78½ inches, was the only work by Tran Luu Hau (Vietnamese, 1928-2020) in the sale; it made an above-estimate $118,400 ($20/50,000).
Tran Luu Hau was represented by one work, which achieved the third highest price of the sale. Titled “Hanoi Street,” the abstract work was done in oil on canvas in 2014 and was signed “Hau” to its lower lefthand corner. The painting was acquired directly from the artist by the consignor, and it more than doubled its $30/50,000 estimate to make $118,400.
Freeman’s next sale dedicated to Vietnamese Modernists will be conducted in January of next year. Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.freemansauction.com or 312-280-1212.
