Spotlight on the history of modern art in Indochina.

"Helping a market to emerge and consolidate itself also means documenting it. In parallel with her 39th " Asian Painters " sale, Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier is working on [this] book..."
As we prepare to celebrate the centenary of the Indochina School of Fine Arts, Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier highlights, in 432 pages, the contributions of this institution to international Art History, and shares the fruit of her ten years of research and expertise on the genesis of modern Vietnamese art. The expert in modern Asian art brings together in a single publication the key players in this institution, recounts the highlights between 1925 and 1945, and describes the exhibitions organized in Hanoi, Saigon and Paris, as well as how they were received by the critics. The book is illustrated with 319 illustrations and includes 28 biographies of students and teachers, as well as numerous archive documents. The author also opens the doors of numerous private collections and museum reserves…

This trilingual book lifts the veil that was cast over seventy years ago on an entire section of international art history. From Inguimberty to Alix Aymé, from Nguyễn Phan Chánh to Vũ Cao Đàm, via Mai Trung Thứ and Lê Phổ, teachers or students, they drew, painted, sculpted, worked with lacquer, exhibited... Directed by Victor Tardieu and then Évariste Jonchère, the school experienced a period of rich artistic emulation between 1925 and 1945, at the origin of the revival of modern Vietnamese art. Here, Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier sets out to explain the decisive stages that led to the emergence of the artistic elite envisioned by Tardieu, and sheds light on the many grey areas that until now have masked the richness and artistic importance of this period in Indochina.

"This in-depth endeavour to promote the work of these artists is such that the mention of their names is finally being noticed by a wider public. Thanks to this deserved spotlight, institutional exhibitions are being organized to support this momentum. My action has therefore been that of the spark that reawakens a fire that has been extinguished for too long."
Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, L’Art moderne en Indochine, In Fine éditions d’art, 2023, pp. 18.


Order your copy


Price incl. VAT: 75 €
Description:
Binding: Laminated board
Pages: 432
Illustrations: 250
Format: 22 x 32 cm
Languages: Trilingual French-English-Vietnamese
Publisher: In Fine éditions d'art

The players in this editorial project
L’art moderne en Indochine. L'École des beaux-arts de l’Indochine (1925-1945) bears witness to the way in which the art market enriches art history and contributes to the advancement of research into this long-forgotten school.

The author, Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, an expert in modern Asian art, has been president of the Association des Artistes d'Asie à Paris (AAP), since 2019. Within the association (an organization of general cultural interest), she works to highlight and document various facets of modern Asian art, and more particularly to list the work of artist Mai Trung Thứ, that of Lê Phô and that of Vũ Cao Đàm. At the Aguttes auction house, Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier has spent the last 10 years focusing on the work of artists with dual training in China/France or Vietnam/France. She joined her family's eponymous company in 1996, specializing in modern art from 2000, and accompanying the development of the Classical Arts division. Since 2013, she has paid particular attention to promoting the work of Asian artists. In this way, she honors some 70 artists, and has already examined and auctioned over 1,000 paintings, drawings, lacquers and sculptures.

The publishing house, In Fine éditions d'art, publishes art books and exhibition catalogs. It is part of the Société française de Promotion Artistique - SFPA (publisher of Connaissance des Arts and In Fine éditions d'art publications), a subsidiary of Les Echos - Le Parisien press group, the media division of the LVMH Group.

Aguttes historic market leader for artists from Asia
The Asian Painters department, headed by expert Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier, has been working for the past ten years to put the spotlight back on little-known Asian artists of the 20th century, regularly setting new world records. Her efforts have enabled the auction house to become the European leader in the Asian painters’ market, satisfying buyers from all over the world.  Aguttes now has 9 employees working in Asia.

The " Asian Painters " department in figures
-    10 years of existence
-    Some 70 artists presented
-    More than 1,000 paintings, drawings, lacquers and sculptures appraised
-    Over 115 works by Mai Trung Thứ appraised and presented
-    Around 150 paintings by Lê Phô appraised and auctioned
-    Nearly 100 works by Vũ Cao Đàm catalogued and put up for auction
-    40th auction in preparation: November 30, 2023


Charlotte Aguttes-Reynier presents a selection of works prior to their auction on October 6, 2020. The ensemble fetched a total of 3.7 million euros. In the center, a work by Lê Phổ (1907 - 2001), sold for 1.1 million euros, becoming the 2nd world record for the artist that day.

4 world records among many others


Le Phổ (1907-2001). Sold for 1.165 million euros, 2nd world record for the artist at auction, on October 6, 2020.


Nguyễn Nam Sơn (1890 - 1973). Sold for 565 000 euros, a world record for the artist at auction, on October 22, 2018.


Lương Xuân Nhị (1913 - 2006). Sold for 756 000 euros, a world record for the artist at auction, on September 30, 2021.


Mai Trung Thứ (1906 - 1980). Sold for 718 000 euros, 2nd world record for the artist at auction, on September 30, 2021.