PARIS.- On September 9, 2025, Aguttes auction house orchestrated its 48th sale dedicated to modern Asian art and totaled over €6.2m. Of the 33 works presented at auction, three exceeded the million-euro mark.
« The market paid tribute to the talents of the artists trained at the Indochina School of Fine Arts, whose remarkable works were presented. As Vietnam celebrated its national holiday last week, art lovers, sensitive to this artistic period, once again affirmed their enthusiasm for this remarkable heritage. » — Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, Associate Director in charge of the Fine & Asian Arts division
Top 5
• Lot 3 - Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), Le concert, 1978, 1 793 280€ - 2nd world record for the artist and world record for a silk by Mai Trung Thứ
• Lot 5 - Lê Phổ (1907-2001), La femme nue, circa 1942, €1,372,200
• Lot 4 - Lê Phổ (1907-2001), Paysage du Tonkin, Hanoï, circa 1930-1935, €1,231,840 - world record for a lacquer by Lê Phổ
• Lot 7- Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), Joie de vivre I, 1963, €792,860
• Lot 6 - Lê Phổ (1907-2001), Jeune fille aux orchidées, circa 1942, €354,240
Over €2.6m for 3 works by Mai Trung Thứ
€1,793,280 rewarded Le concert (lot 3), a work by Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980), and thus marked the artist's 2nd world record. This painting is also the world record for a silk by Mai Trung Thứ. A music lover and musician, the artist illustrated the theme of music throughout his career. In 1978, he delivered this latest interpretation of the subject, to which the market paid a fine tribute this week with this million-dollar result.
Another work on silk, Joie de vivre (lot 7) fetched €792,860. From a triptych created in 1963 and subsequently disassembled, it represents a recurring theme in Mai Trung Thứ's work, that of childhood. The side paintings had appeared on the second market successively in 2014 and 2020 in Paris. Still missing, this central piece, kept for over 50 years in a private collection, has finally emerged from the shadows and captured the attention of connoisseurs.
Another work by Mai Trung Thứ, La coiffure, 1953 (lot 12) was included in the catalog and fetched €62,976. The three works by this artist thus totaled, on September 9, 2025, more than €2.6 million.
Over €3.3m for 7 works by Lê Phổ
A painting (lot 5) and a lacquer (lot 4) by Lê Phổ each well exceeded the million-euro mark.
In 1942, thanks to gallery owner André Romanet, the artist presented, La femme nue (lot 5). at the Galerie d'Art Pasteur in Algiers. This masterpiece was rewarded by connoisseurs who, on September 9, 2025, bid up to €1,372,200.
Like a final bouquet, this 45th and last painting, which Lê Phổ had sent for this exhibition held in Algiers in the early 1940s, deals with the theme of the nude. With this choice, the artist showed boldness and unleashed his talent.
The number of lacquer works by Lê Phổ listed today remains below 10.
Paysage du Tonkin, Hanoï, (lot 4) circa 1930-1935, will have aroused the interest of enthusiasts, who fought their way to €1,231,840. This screen is now the world record for a lacquer by Lê Phổ.
A recent graduate of the Indochina School of Fine Arts, Lê Phổ created this piece in the early 1930s, consisting of five lacquer panels enhanced with gold and silver. Acquired directly from the artist at the time by Auguste Tholance, a major supporter of the artist, this work offers a rare glimpse into the lacquer production by Lê Phổ, to which the artist devoted himself during a short but intense period between 1930 and 1937.
It also illustrates the encounter between Art Deco lines and the traditional technique and aesthetics of Vietnamese lacquer art.
Another fine bid for Lê Phổ, with Jeune fille aux orchidées (lot 6), which sold for €354,240. Jeune femme aux fleurs de lotus (lot 13), Femme dans un champ de marguerites (lot 15), Jeune garçon (lot 8 B) and Le repos (lot 9) fetched €65,600, €82,020, €209,920 and €60,352 respectively.
7 works by Lê Phổ thus achieved a total value of over €3.3m.
