Painters and Asian Art : Asian Weeks at Aguttes

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The new season is off to a flying start for Asia at Aguttes, with a dynamic program full of discoveries and exclusive presentations.

A historic leader in the Asian Art market, with a strong specialization in the work of artists who came to Paris from Asia in the early 20th century, our auction house is offering its 48th sale dedicated to modern Asian art on September 9, 2025.

As the School of Fine Arts in Hanoi celebrates its centenary, this sale, entitled Tribute to Modern Vietnamese Art: 1925 / 2025, presents a selection of previously unseen masterpieces. To mark the occasion, we are organizing a new Asian week from September 2 to 11, 2025 in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

« While the signatures of Lê Phổ and Mai Trung Thứ resonate regularly on the art market today, the public presentation of this unprecedented ensemble enables a real advance in the knowledge of modern Vietnamese art. Kept in private hands since their conception, each of these works testifies to the talent of its creator and thus to the success of this educational project between East and West. I am delighted by this happy coincidence, which makes it possible to reveal them on the occasion of this anniversary. »
—Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, Associate Director in charge of the Fine Arts and Asian Arts division.

On September 9, 2025, our auction house will present a selection of remarkable, previously unseen works by artists trained at the Indochina School of Fine Arts. This institution, founded by Victor Tardieu, is celebrating its centenary this academic year.

From September 2 to 11, 2025, we offer two public auctions, two exhibitions dedicated to Asia, guided tours, free and confidential appraisals and a conference, on the occasion of a new Asian week.

Aguttes Asian Weeks
From September 2 to 11

*On July 22, Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, Associate Director in charge of the Fine Arts and Asian Arts division, chose the setting of the South-East Asian Student House at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, to reveal, in the presence of His Excellency Mr. Đinh Toàn Thắng, Vietnamese Ambassador to France, and his wife, some unique works of art that history had forgotten, ahead of their auction on September 9.

Lê Phổ (1907-2001) Paysage du Tonkin, Hanoi, circa 1930-1935
Lacquer with gold and silver highlights, five-panel screen.
114.5 x 147 cm

PROVENANCE
Collection of Governor General Auguste Tholance (1878-1938)
Private collection, Nice (since the late 1930s, by descent from the previous owner)
Private collection, Marseille (since the early 1980s, by descent from the previous owner) Private collection, Marseille (since the 1990s, by descent from the previous owner)

EXHIBITION (for related works by the same artist)
1931, International Colonial Exhibition, Paris, Vincennes (May 6-November 15) for Paysage tonkinois (Sai-Son, Son-Tay province)
2023-2024, "Paraventi. Folding screens from the 17th to 21st century“, Fondazione Prada, Milan
(October 26-February 22) and 2024-2025 ”Lê Phô, Mai-Thu, Vu Cao Dam. Pionniers de l'art moderne vietnamien en France“, Cernuschi Museum, Paris (October 11 - May 4) for Paysage du Tonkin,
2025, ”City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris, 1920s-1940s", National Gallery, Singapore (April 2 - August 17) for Paysage du Tonkin; and for Les éternités, circa 1935.

A recent graduate of the Indochina School of Fine Arts, Lê Phổ produced this screen entitled Paysage du Tonkin in the early 1930s. Composed of five lacquer panels enhanced with gold and silver, this work perfectly illustrates the encounter between Art Deco lines and the traditional technique and aesthetics of Vietnamese lacquer art.

This unique piece was acquired directly from the artist by Auguste Tholance, a major supporter of the artist. It 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. The number of lacquer works by Lê Phổ recorded today is less than 10.

Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980)
Joie de vivre, 1963
Ink and colors on silk. In its original frame made by the artist.
34.8 x 94.8 cm

PROVENANCE
Private collection Vivien, Paris
Private collection Weinstein, Antwerp, Belgium, 1973
Private collection Los Angeles (by descent from previous owner)

EXHIBITION
1963, “Les Enfants de Mai-Thu”, Galerie du Péristyle, Paris (November 20 - December 20)

Childhood is a recurrent theme in Mai Trung Thứ's work, particularly after his collaboration with UNICEF in 1960. In 1963, the artist produced a masterly work entitled Joie de Vivre. Presented on the occasion of the exhibition Les Enfants de Mai-Thu, at the Galerie du Péristyle in Paris, it depicts a childlike scene.

Mai Trung Thứ in his studio in front of the triptych Joie de vivre, 1964 ©Association Mai-Thu suite

In the form of a triptych, it consists of paintings on silk, assembled in a large frame designed by the artist himself. A photo in the Mai Thu Committee archives shows the exceptional dimensions of this artistic feat. Although the triptych was quickly disassembled and the parts dispersed, the side works had appeared on the second market successively in 2012 and 2020 in Paris, but the central piece was still missing. The latter has finally emerged from the shadows, having been kept in a private collection for over 50 years.

« If this sale were to enable the triptych to be reunited, in accordance with the artist's initial wishes, it would be fantastic. »
—Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, Associate Director in charge of the Fine Arts and Asian Arts division.

Lê Phổ (1907-2001)
La femme nue, 1942
Ink and colors on silk.
53.5 x 71 cm

PROVENANCE
Galerie d'art Pasteur, Alger-Oran, Algeria
Private collection, Algeria
Private collection, Southeastern France (transmitted from previous)

EXHIBITION
1942, Indochina French Painters, Galerie Romanet / Galerie d'art
Pasteur, Alger-Oran, Algeria (May), no. 88

Lê Phổ moved to France in 1937 but, a few years later, the situation proved difficult for a young painter, a foreigner at that, in a country at war. The opportunity to exhibit in Algiers presented itself as a promise. To this end, between 1941 and 1942, he produced a series of paintings on silk, considered to be the most important of his work.

In 1942, thanks to gallery owner André Romanet, the artist presented La femme nue at the Galerie d'Art Pasteur. Like a final bouquet, this 45th and last painting he sent for this exhibition, deals with the theme of the nude. With this choice, the artist shows boldness and unleashes his talent. In so doing, he brings these fruitful months to a masterly close.

Mai Trung Thứ (1906-1980)
Le concert, 1978
Ink and colors on silk. In original frame by the artist.
92 x 65 cm

PROVENANCE
Galerie Apesteguy, Deauville
Private collection, France (acquired from previous owner and passed down through the family since)

EXHIBITION
1979-1980, “L'univers poétique de Mai-Thu”, Galerie Vendôme, Paris (December - January)

Known for his love of music and his talent as a musician, Mai Trung Thứ illustrated this theme throughout his career. In 1978, the artist produced his latest version on this subject, which he entitled Le concert. This composition, with its unusual format, was presented in his last exhibition, L'univers poétique de Mai-Thu, held from December 1979 to January 1980 at the Galerie Vendôme. A photograph and video preserved in the Mai Thu archives show this painting in situ, on this occasion.

As a tribute to this masterpiece, Galerie Anne Apesteguy published a calendar in 1982, on which she chose to reproduce it.

Two Auctions
Tribute to Vietnamese Modern Art Sale : 1925 / 2025
Sale [48] Aguttes on Tuesday 9 September 2025 at 2:30 PM
For more information or to include a lot in our upcoming auctions, please contact:
Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier - Expert
+33 1 41 92 06 49 – +33 6 63 58 21 82 – reynier@aguttes.com

Asian Arts
Auction on Wednesday 10 September 2025 at 11:00 AM and 2:30 PM
For more information or to include a lot in our upcoming auctions, please contact:
Clémentine Guyot
+33 1 47 45 00 90 – +33 7 83 19 05 89 – guyot@aguttes.com

Publics Exhibitions
Painters & Asian Arts:
Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 September: from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Thursday 4, Friday 5 and Monday 8 September: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Asian Arts: Tuesday 9 September: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Guided Tours (registration required)
From Tuesday 2 to Friday 5 September at 11:00 AM
Register

Conference (registration required)
Wednesday 3 September at 6:30 PM – 4 topics, 15 minutes:
6:30 PM Analysis of economic growth in China and then Vietnam over the past 25 years: what impact on the art market?
With Jean Minguet, Head Economist & Art Market Analyst at Artprice, Ernest van Zuylen, Head of Aguttes Belgium office and formerly Senior Associate at the investment bank Allyum in Brussels, and
Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, Asian Modern Art Expert.
6:45 PM The Nude in Art
By Pierre-Alban Vinquant and Juliette Rode, auctioneers at Aguttes.
7:00 PM The Technique of Lacquer in Art Deco: Meeting of East and West
By Laëtitia Ferreira, Head of Architectural Conservation at the Palais de la Porte Dorée, Executive Curator of the restoration project of Jean Dunand’s Lacquer Salon.
7:15 PM Libation Cup in Ancient China: Horn of Plenty
By Clémentine Guyot, Director of the Asia Department at Aguttes.
Register

Free and Confidential Appraisals
From Tuesday 2 to Friday 5 September at 12:00 PM by appointment : Register
And Thursday 11 September: 2:30 PM – 5:00 PM without appointment
(For another time slot, please contact jougla@aguttes.com)

Tribute to Modern Vietnamese Art: 1925 / 2025