Auction [53] Asian Painters
China, Japan and Vietnam

Tiếng Việt

This 53^rd auction by the department, dedicated to Asian Modern Art, reflects the support of Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, an expert in the work of Vietnamese and Chinese artists. Indeed, these generations deserve greater recognition: their rediscovery in recent years is part of a growing trend toward the appreciation of Asian modern art, which is attracting increasing interest from both collectors and institutions. 

We are currently seeking to expand our catalog with works that showcase the talent of these painters who bridged East and West in the early 20th century.

On the one hand, artists trained in both China and Europe, such as Sanyu, Pan Yulin…
And of course, we are also seeking works bearing the following signatures: Nguyễn Gia Trí, Tô Ngọc Vân, Nguyễn Tường Lân, Trần Văn Cẩn, Hoàng Tích Chù, Phạm Quang Hậu, Lê Phổ, Lê Thi Luu, Lê Văn Dệ, Vũ Cao Đàm, Victor Tardieu, Nguyễn Phan Chánh, Nam Sơn, Mai Trung Thu, Lương Xuân Nhị…

Vietnamese Modern Art

The Vietnamese Odalisques of Mai Trung Thứ

In the 1970s, the current owners purchased this painting by Mai Trung Thứ from the Moyon-Avenard Gallery, a true Nantes institution since 1895. Now closed, this institution represented pioneering artists such as Bernard Buffet, Georges Mathieu, and Yves Brayer. These avant-garde artists shared the gallery’s space with artists from the Indochina School of Fine Arts, such as Mai Trung Thứ, who was introduced by Louise-Georgette Houguet and Alain Moyon, both of whom were then directors of the institution.

Until 2002, this family-run gallery was home to four generations of art dealers and hosted a long series of solo exhibitions.

A necklace that blends femininity and elegance, the key to understanding…

With Le Collier, Vũ Cao Đàm revisits one of the most universal subjects in the history of painting. As a learned painter, he plays with the codes and symbols of the traditional iconography of the Virgin and Child to create a modern and deeply Vietnamese interpretation of this theme.

Drawing on the motif of the architectural niche—a device cherished by Renaissance masters such as Botticelli that opens up a view of a landscape—it is through the motif of the necklace that he demonstrates great originality here. In 1944—one of the most significant years for his art—this iconographic mastery enabled Vũ Cao Đàm to achieve a perfect composition, carried by the excellence of his brushwork.

While the great masters of the 15th and 16th centuries depicted the Infant Jesus wearing a coral necklace—whose red color evokes the blood of Christ and foreshadows the Passion—Vũ Cao Đàm reverses the roles, having the mother wear a jade necklace, the ultimate symbol of femininity and refinement in Vietnamese tradition.

The child’s gesture as he reaches for it catches the eye. It thus evokes the tenderness and innocence characteristic of that suspended moment in time known as childhood, far removed from the symbolic gravity attached to coral in the Christian tradition. This necklace thus becomes the key to the painting: it embodies the dialogue between East and West, an artistic and intellectual approach that would guide the artist throughout his entire body of work.

Auction [53] in preparation | Modern Asian Art: China and Vietnam
November 5, 2026, 2:30 p.m.

A quarterly auction is in the works: do you know the value of your items?

Take advantage of a free and confidential appraisal by our expert, Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, a long-standing leader in this field.
reynier@aguttes.com
+ 33 6 63 58 21 82