A silk painting by Nguyen Nam Son (1890-1973), one of the leading artists in modern Vietnamese fine art, was auctioned at 205,000 Euros.

Thon Nu Bac Ky (Peasants of Tonkin) by painter Nguyen Nam Son (Photo: VNA)

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

The painting, titled Thon Nu Bac Ky (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 Nguyen Van Tho, was a co-initiator of the Indochine Fine Arts College in Hanoi with Victor Tardieu (1870-1937).

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

A lacquer painting, titled Thieu Nu Mo Mong (A Dreamy Young Girl), by Le Pho (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 Le Pho, titled Mau Tu (Maternity), ink and watercolour on silk, measuring 59.5x48cm, was sold at 300,000 Euros, while his Thieu Nu Ben Hoa Hong (A Young Girl by a Rose), also ink and watercolour on silk, 41x32.2cm, was sold at 160,000 Euros. Both the paintings had been expected to get a maximum of 200,000 Euros.

Vu Cao Dam’s (1908-2000) painting, titled Chuyen Tro (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 Thu (1906-1980), titled Khoanh Khac Am Nhac (Instant Music), ink and watercolour on silk, was sold at 230,000 Euros.

(Source: VNA)