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In 2024, the Asia department at Aguttes, with its ten dedicated auctions, achieved a total of over €14.5 million.
A historic leader in the Asian Painters category, Aguttes particularly champions modern Vietnamese and Chinese art. The family-run French auction house also actively highlights more traditional arts, as demonstrated at the end of this year with the sale of a Guanyin statue for nearly €988,000.

Asian Painters

As the only auction house in the world specializing in painters who received this dual Asian and Western training at the beginning of the 20th century, Aguttes has been conducting extensive work since 2014 under the direction of Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier to bring this unique art form to light. As the centenary of the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine is celebrated, Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier published L’art moderne en Indochine in February with In Fine Éditions d’Art. This publication, the first to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine in artistic creation, reveals this art, which has been neglected for 70 years. Over recent years, these artists have consistently set auction records.


Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980)
In the open air
Sold €828,000
Sale [42] March 7, 2024, Lot 12


Lê Phổ (1907-2001)
The blue bowl
Sold €554,000
Sale [44] September 10, 2024, lot 8


Vũ Cao Đàm (1908-2000)
Maternity , 1944
Sold €528,000
Sale [43] May 22, 2024, Lot 8


Thang Trần Phềnh (1895-1973)
The village chief on horseback asking for directions
Sold €452,000
Sale [43] May 22, 2024, Lot 5


Thang Trần Phềnh (1895-1973)
The scholar reading in front of the villagers
Sold €452,000
World record for the artist
Sale [43] May 22, 2024, Lot 6

Iconic works, records, and discoveries of the year :


Trần Văn Cẩn (1895-1973)
Daydream, 1936
Sold €369,000
World record for the artist
Sale [45] November 5, 2024, Lot 6


Vũ Cao Đàm (1908-2000)
Young Annamite girl, the model Paul Reynaud
Sold €150,000
2 nd world record for a sculpted work by the artist
Sale [43] May 22, 2024, lot 10


Trịnh Hữu Ngọc (1912-1997)
Young pensive woman thinking of her beloved, 1936
Sold €203,000
World record for the artist
Sale [43] May 22, 2024, lot 7bis

Acquisitions by Museums :


Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merprès (1880-1958)
Two women in an interior
Sold €235,000
Acquired by the Museum Pasifika, Bali
Sale [44] September 10, 2024, lot 3

Some figures :

96.15% of the lots 1 are sold to international bidders, Aguttes frequently uncovers pieces that enrich art history: The Blue Bowl by Lê Phổ, a typical painting from the artist's Algerian period, remained in Algeria for 80 years. Another example is a bronze sculpture by Vũ Cao Đàm (1908–2000), titled Young Annamite Girl, the model Paul Reynaud, which was sold for €150,880 on May 22, 2024 (lot 10). This sculpture represents the 2nd world record for a sculpted work by the artist. Among the highlights of 2024 was the discovery of two works by Thang Trần Phềnh (lots 5 and 6, May 22, 2024). The Village Chief on Horseback Asking for Directions and The Scholar Reading to the Villagers made an impression on the art market with a combined result of €452,000. In 2024, 20 works by Lê Phổ totaled €2,490,000, while 17 by Vũ Cao Đàm amounted to €1,890,000, and 21 by Mai Trung Thứ reached €2,555,000. Beyond the marquee names, Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier notes that other artists from the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine, such as Trần Văn Cẩn, Gia Tri, and Nguyễn Phan Chánh, are gaining increasing recognition among bidders and collectors. Daydream, 1936 (lot 6) by Trần Văn Cẩn (1895–1973) sold for €369,060 on November 5, 2024, marking a world record for the artist. Young Pensive Woman Thinking of Her Beloved (1936, lot 7.bis) by Trịnh Hữu Ngọc (1912–1997) sold for €203,180 on May 22, 2024, achieving a new world record for the artist.

Over the past 10 years, Aguttes has presented over 400 works by Lê Phổ, Mai Trung Thứ, and Vũ Cao Đàm, achieving €37 million in sales :
- Approximately 155 works by Lê Phổ, totaling €13.9 million
- Approximately 135 works by Mai Trung Thứ, totaling €15.2 million
- Approximately 110 works by Vũ Cao Đàm, totaling €7.8 million

€72.5 million in total sales : This is the total achieved by Aguttes in the Asian Painters & Arts category from 2014 to 2024.

Asian Arts

The Asian Arts department ended the year on a high note: a Guanyin statue, long preserved in Neuilly-sur-Seine, recently rediscovered, captivated bidders—three in the room and two on the phone—on December 4, 2024. This exceptionally rare Guanyin, dating back to the Song dynasty (960–1279), soared to nearly €988,000. Made of carved wood, the statue still retains traces of gilding and polychromy. Once housed in a private mansion belonging to the Charcot family, this sculpture came from the collection of Juliette Lecomte. The daughter of Auguste Pellerin, a famous collector, she acquired this Guanyin in the 1930s. Nearly a century after its acquisition, the statue, passed down through generations, returned to the art market for the first time at Aguttes. Clémentine Guyot, in charge of this section at Aguttes, observed a very strong interest this year from Chinese buyers for Buddhist bronzes. During the auction she organized on September 18, 2024, a gilt-bronze Vajrapani statue reached €81,344, while bidders competed fiercely for a gilt-bronze lama statue, which fetched €56,416 (lots 148 and 84) on June 5, 2024. Vietnamese goldsmithing pieces associated with imperial power also attracted collectors’ interest: an imperial pair of lidded ewers in polychrome enamel on copper ('phap lam') (lot 8) sold for €23,050 on December 4, 2024, while an 18k repoussé and engraved gold decoration holder (lot 6) achieved €82,656 on September 18, 2024. As for high-quality Chinese porcelain, it continues to excite buyers and achieve sometimes spectacular results, such as a blue-and-white porcelain vase (lot 18), which sold for €160,064 on December 4, 2024.

Top 5 Asian Arts of the Year :


China, Song Dynasty (960–1279)
Rare and significant carved wooden Guanyin statue
Traces of gilding and polychromy
Dimensions: 105 x 77 x 60 cm

Provenance
Acquired in the 1930s by Madame Juliette Lecomte,
daughter of the collector Auguste Pellerin, and subsequently by descent.
Sold €988,000
Sale December 4, 2024, lot 112


China, late Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)
Blue-and-white porcelain vase in Ming style
The base bears a six-character Qianlong mark in zhuanshu script.
H. 37.8 cm

Provenance
Collection of Ernest and Oscar Moulié.
Sold €160,000
Sale December 4, 2024, lot 18


Indochina, circa 1921
18k gold decoration holder
Sold €82,000
Sale September 18, 2024, lot 6


Style of Zanabazar
Gilded bronze Vajrapani statue
Sold €81,000
Sale September 18, 2024, lot 148


Tibet, 18th Century
Gilded bronze lama statue
Sold €56,000
Sale June 5, 2024, lot 84

Upcoming Sales in Preparation :
ASIAN PAINTERS
Tuesday, February 18, 2025

For more information or to include a lot in our upcoming sales, contact :
Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier
+33 (1) 41 92 06 49 - reynier@aguttes.com

ASIAN ARTS
Thursday, March 6, 2025

For more information or to include a lot in our upcoming sales, contact :
Clémentine Guyot
+33 (0)1 47 45 00 90 - guyot@aguttes.com

[1] priced at €2,000 including tax or more (including aftersales)