The "Painting & Works of Art from Vietnam" auction on Sept. 30 was dedicated to artists who came from Asia to France at the beginning of the 20th century, especially those from the Indochina School of Fine Arts like Mai Trung Thu, Le Pho, Vu Cao Dam, and Luong Xuan Nhi.

"Le Tricot" (Knitting) by Luong Xuan Nhi.

Fetching the highest price at auction was "Le Tricot" (Knitting) by Luong Xuan Nhi (1914 - 2006), sold for €756, 440 ($877,012). The painting, 65.5 x 40.5 centimeters, depicts a young woman sitting on her knees, barefoot, peacefully knitting.

"The elegance of her ao dai, the gold necklace and her delicate hairstyle bear witness to her social status," the auction house stated, adding her modest smile is similar to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

"La Cérémonie Du Thé" (Tea Ceremony) by Mai Trung Thu.

Another painting to fetch a high price was "La Cérémonie Du Thé" (Tea Ceremony) by Mai Trung Thu, illustrating a family enjoying tea, with a teapot and small cups, and a tea boat on the stove.

The painting, 55.8 x 55.8 centimeters, went for €718,160 ($832,631).

Mai Trung Thu (1906 - 1980) was a Vietnamese-French painter. He graduated from the Indochina College of Fine Arts in Hanoi before living and working mostly in France. His main subjects were women, children and daily life in Vietnam or related to the country.

"La Tonkinoise et La Vieille Sage" (The Tonkinese and The Old Sage) by Nguyen Tuong Tam.

The auction also featured Nguyen Tuong Tam’s wooden painting "La Tonkinoise et La Vieille Sage" (The Tonkinese and The Old Sage), a rare artwork of Tam to go under the hammer. The artist (1906 - 1963) was admitted to the Indochina School of Fine Arts in 1925 and spent only two years there. The painting was created during his final year, bearing the signature of the school director, Victor Tardieu.

"La Tonkinoise et La Vieille Sage" was sold for €10,400 ($12,057).

Many Vietnamese artworks of the 20th century have been auctioned globally in the last few years. In April, Mai Trung Thu’s "Portrait of Mademoiselle Phuong" smashed the nation’s auction record with a $3.1 million bid.

Colourful mural paintings in fishing village

Following uncountable rainy and sunny seasons, the brilliant mural paintings in Canh Duong Village, Cảnh Hoa Commune, Quang Trach District in the central province of Quang Binh have faded over time; however, the echoes of a land imbued with its coastal cultural identity still seem to hold on visitors and coax them into scheduling a return date.

Bui Xuan Phai’s paintings to be auctioned in Singapore

Three paintings of late Vietnamese painter Bui Xuan Phai will go under the hammer at the “Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art” session of Singaporean auctioneer Larasati on June 17.

Gigantic painting reenacts historic Dien Bien Phu Victory

‘Dien Bien Phu’ – a massive painting of 132m wide and 9m high that took three years to be completed – has been approved by an art council.

Tho Ha communal house’s door painting in fresco recognized as national treasure

(BGO) - The Prime Minister has issued a decision to recognize 24 artifacts and groups of artifacts of some provinces and cities as national treasures. Among these is the door painting in fresco of Tho Ha communal house in Van Ha commune (Viet Yen district).

Vietnamese painting fetches record price at Hong Kong auction

'Portrait of Mademoiselle Phuong' by Mai Trung Thu has fetched the highest ever price for a Vietnamese painting with $3.1 million.

Source: VnExpress