Archive
Leonardo da Vinci (Italy, 1452-1519) Joconde (Mona Lisa) oil on poplar panel 77 x 53 cm. (30 x 21 in.) painted circa 1503-1519 Collection of Louvre Museum, Paris, France Mai Trung Thu’s La Joconde (Mona Lisa) In Vietnamese art history, Mai Trung Thu discovering and visiting often the original Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci at the Louvre, from his stay in Paris in 1937 …
V-J Day in Times Square, a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt, was published in Life magazine in 1945 with the caption, “In New York’s Times Square, a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers” Portrait of Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt (German, 1898-1995) This photograph, taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt for Life magazine, went around the world. Taken in …
In this 15th-century ensemble commissioned by the Le Viste family of Lyon, each tapestry represents one of the five senses: smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste. La Dame à la licorne (The Lady and the Unicorn) tapestry 377 x 473 cm. Painted between 1484 and 1500 Each sense is portrayed through the recurrence of a lady, magnificently dressed and adorned with jewels, and a unicorn, …
It’s possible to travel only through art and dreams. And what a journey it is! Follow me on this painting by Henri Rousseau… Henri Rousseau (France, 1844-1910) Le Rêve / Le Songe or Rêve exotique (The Dream) oil on canvas 204.5 cm × 298.5 cm (80.5 in × 117.5 in) painted in 1910 You probably know this painter better as the douanier Rousseau. He owes this nickname to his first job: …
Vincent Van Gogh painted the starry night motif several times: over the Rhône, above a café terrace… Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890) The Starry Night oil on canvas 73.7 cm × 92.1 cm (29.01 in × 36.26 in) Painted in 1889 Vincent Van Gogh painted the starry night motif several times: over the Rhône, above a café terrace… In a letter to his sister in September 1888, he wrote: “Often, it …
Mai Trung Thu (Vietnam/France, 1906-1980) Jeune Femme Endormie (Young Lady Sleeping) signed ‘MAI THU’ and dated in Chinese ’67’ (upper right) ink and gouache on silk laid on board in the artist’s original frame 15 x 18 cm. (5 7/8 x 7 1/8 in.) Painted in 1967 one seal of the artist Price Realised HKD 300,000 at Christie’s Hong Kong, 25 November 2018 The Delicate …
Nguyen Trung (Vietnam, B. 1940) Maternity and the Sea signed and dated ‘NgTrung90’ (lower right) oil on canvas 190 x 130 cm. (74 3/4 x 51 in.) painted in 1990 Provenance Acquired directly from the artist Collection of Boi Tran Garden, Hue, Vietnam Private Collection, Hong Kong Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 06 October 2009
General Vo Nguyen Giap (Vietnam, 1911-2013) and the Vietnamese Fine Arts Delegation on a business trip in the Soviet Union around 1958-1959; standing from left to right: Mai Van Hien, X, X, To Huu, Phan Ke An, Diep Minh Chau and seated from left to right: Tran Van Can, Vo Nguyen Giap, Luong Xuan Nhi.
An honorary certificate for Nguyen Do Cung’s valuable creations: the Resistance paintings subjected to heighten the Resistance spirits. Certificate signed by President Ho Chi Minh and dated 15 June 1948. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM INDEPENDENCE – LIBERTY – HAPPINESS PRIME MINISTER PRESIDENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM AWARD CERTIFICATE MR. Nguyen Do Cung President of South Central Resistance Culture Association in recognition of valuable …
Boi Tran (Vietnam, B. 1957) Praying oil on canvas 40 x 30 cm. (15 3/4 x 11 13/16 in.) painted circa 2000 The work is accompanied by a photograph of Boi Tran posing in front of her work at Minh Chau Art Gallery in Hanoi, circa 2000. Provenance Collection of the artist Collection of Boi Tran Garden, Hue, Vietnam Private Collection, Asia Boi Tran posing …
Rosa Bonheur (France, 1822-1899) Labourage nivernais (Ploughing in Nevers) oil on canvas 133 × 260 cm. (52 × 100 in.) painted in 1849 Collection of Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France Rosa Bonheur was an exceptional painter who broke all the codes of her time. She specialized in animal painting, a genre hitherto reserved for men. It wasn’t easy to observe animals in a long dress. Indeed, …
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (France, 1864-1901) Jeanne avril dansant (Jane Avril Dancing) Oil on cardboard 85 x 45 cm. (33.46 x 17.71 in.) painted circa 1892 Collection of Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France While Toulouse-Lautrec is accustomed to painting Montmartre cabaret dancers such as La Goulue, Jane here surprises us with the particular movement of her legs, a body that seems to dislocate itself. Jane Avril, nicknamed …
Firm of Peter Carl Fabergé (Russian, ca. 1870-1920) Gatchina Palace Egg gold, enamel, silver-gilt, portrait diamonds, rock crystal and seed pearls executed in 1901 Provenance Acquired by Henry Walters, 1930 Collection of Walters Art Museum Fabergé And The Russian Crafts Tradition: An Empire’s Legacy Gatchina Palace Egg House of Fabergé (Russian, est. 1842) (Manufacturer) Mikhail Perkhin (Russian, 1860-1903) (Workmaster) Peter Carl Fabergé (1846-1920) (Jeweler) As …
Jean Simeon Chardin (France, 1699-1779) La raie (The Ray) oil on canvas 114 cm × 146 cm (45 in × 57 in) painted in 1728 Collection of Louvre Museum, Paris, France At the Louvre, there’s an enigmatic smile that’s almost as successful as the Mona Lisa: Chardin’s Stingray. In 1728, Chardin achieved the feat of seducing the Académie Royale, which inducted him the very same …
Caravaggio (Italy, 1571-1610) David with the Head of Goliath oil on canvas 200 x 100 cm (78.7 x 39.3 in.) painted circa 1609-1610 Collection of Galleria Borghese, Rome Caravaggio (Italy, 1571-1610) David with the Head of Goliath oil on poplar wood 91.2 x 116.2 cm. (35.9 x 45.7 in.) painted circa 1600-1601 The 17th-century Baroque painter Caravaggio seemed fascinated by the biblical episode of David …
Dorothea Lange’s iconic 1936 photograph of Florence Owens Thompson, Migrant Mother Dorothea Lange (America, 1895-1965) Migrant Mother 28.3 cm × 21.8 cm (11.1 in × 8.6 in) 1936 Collection of Museum of Modern Art, New York In 1936, the photographer worked for the Farm Security Administration. At the request of the Roosevelt government, she took documentary photographs to document farmers’ poverty during the Great Depression. The woman holding her baby in her …
David Hockney (Britain, B. 1937) A Bigger Splash Acrylic on canvas 242.5 cm × 243.9 cm (95.5 in × 96.0 in) painted in 1967 Collection of Tate Britain, London Invite you to delve into Hockney’s “pool paintings” series, in which, from 1964 onwards, the painter almost obsessively depicts swimming pools. But why such an obsession? When he discovered California, and more specifically Los Angeles, where he settled in the 60s, Hockney, …
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) The Lady with an Ermine (Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani) oil and tempera on panel 54.8 x 40.3 cm. (21.5 x 15.8 in.) painted circa 1489 Collection of Czartoryski Museum, Kraków, Poland This portrait by Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, for whom he worked as an engineer. The Duke was about to marry and had …
A handwritten letter by Diep Minh Chau dated June 5th, 1992 regarding Le Van De’s A Lady of Hue The translation of this letter is as follows: I have known Le Van De, who lived in Hanoi for 5 years. He usually painted through the medium of Ha Dong silk. He probably utilised Ha Dong silk – this painting is executed in this type of …
Louvre Museum Collection: Exposed the very first time masterpieces by Italian Painter Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio: Portrait de femme, en buste, de profil & Portrait de jeune homme, en buste Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio (Italy, 1452-1519) Portrait de femme, en buste, de profil black and red chalk, heightened with white, on blue ocher prepared paper. 44.4 x 28.8 cm. Collection of Louvre Museum Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio (Italy, …
Louvre Museum Collection: Exposed the very first time masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci Portrait d’Isabelle d’Este Leonard de Vinci (Italy, 1452-1519) Portrait d’Isabelle d’Este Metallic point, charcoal, sanguine and stump, yellow ocher chalk, heightened with white on the face, throat and hand, on prepared paper. A first trace in black chalk is visible in several parts: face, hair, veil on the forehead, neck, clothing covering the …
Director of the Département des Arts Graphiques at the Louvre Museum Xavier Salmon, Photographer Jean-Baptiste Huynh and his research on Van der Weyden’s drawing Virgin Mary – this unique masterpiece hasn’t been exposed to the public before. Rogier van der Weyden (Netherlands, 1399/1400-1494) Tête de la Vierge (Head of the Virgin) drawing, silver point on white prepared paper 12.8 x 10.9 cm. (5 x 4.2 …
Katsushika Hokusai (Japan, 1760-1849) Kanagawa oki nami ura (La Grande Vague de Kanagawa) [“La Vague”] Estampe de la série Fugaku sanjurokkei (Les trente-six vues du Mont Fuji), signée Hokusai aratame Iitsu hittsu , publiée par Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudo). 26 x 38,4 cm. (10 1/4 x 15 1/8 in.) Provenance Previously in the collection of William Dannat Haviland, collected in the 1930s (by repute) and gifted …
Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait of Père Tanguy and Japonisme; most advanced in style, skill and color integrates Japanese, Impressionist, and other influences on the Parisian artist community, in other word, Ukiyo-e influence in Western art. Portrait of Père Tanguy, Vincent van Gogh, 1887, oil on canvas, 65.0 cm × 51.0 cm (25.6 in × 20.0 in)
Gabrielle d’Estrées (France, 1573-1599) Gabrielle d’Estrées et une de ses soeurs oil on wood 96 × 125 cm. painted around 1575-1600 Collection of École de Fontainebleau, Louvre Museum, Paris, France THE MEANING OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAUTY OF MEANING: THE SECRET BEHIND THE PAINTING This anonymous painting from 1594 has troubled many a visitor to the Louvre. A red curtain seems to open just for …
Gustave Courbet (France, 1819-1877) L’Atelier du peintre (The Painter’s Studio) oil on canvas 361 cm × 598 cm (142 in × 235 in) painted in 1855 Collection of Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France In this painting of gigantic dimensions (3.61 by 5.98 meters), the realist painter provokes his contemporaries by adopting the format of a history painting, the genre par excellence, to paint a much …
Mary Cassatt (America, 1844-1926) Petite fille dans un fauteuil bleu (Little Girl in a Blue Armchair) oil on canvas 89.5 × 129.8 cm (35 1/4 × 51 1/8 in.) painted in 1878 Collection of National Gallery of Art, Washington DC THE SECRET BEHIND THE PAINTING Here’s a painting that smells of school vacations, of children far from school benches, carelessly sprawled out on the sofa… …
Vu Cao Dam (Vietnam, 1908-2000) Le Cavalier (The Horserider) signed and dated ‘Vu Cao Dam 1971’ (lower right) oil on canvas 50 x 61 cm. (19 5/8 x 24 in.) Painted in 1971 Price Realised HKD 437,500 at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2015 Almost two decades ago, I asked this question of one of the great figures of Vietnamese painting, “according to you who is …
Le Pho (Vietnam, 1907-2001) Standing Nude signed, signed in Chinese with a seal of the artist upper right ink and gouache on silk 32 x 19cm. (12½ x 7½in.) Executed circa 1937 Le Pho, Nu Debout (Standing Nude), c. 1937 or the joyful farewell to the past Nudes were rarely painted in the history of Vietnamese Modern Art. The Confucian culture and social mores of …
Pham Hau (Vietnam, 1903-1995) Maison près de la rivière lacquer box signed with artist’s stamp 8 x 23,7 x 46 cm. (3 1/8 x 9 3/8 x 18 1/8 in.) executed circa 1950 Provenance Acquired in Vietnam by Maurice Colin (1906-1994) and brought back to France in 1954, thence by descent in the family. Christie’s Paris, 14 June 2023 Price Realised EUR 17,640 at Christie’s …
Truong Be (Vietnam, 1942-2020) The Oriental Rhythm signed and dated ‘Truong Be 2000’ (lower right of extreme right panel) lacquer, quadriptych 110 x 200 cm. (43 1/4 x 78 3/4 in.) Executed in 2000 (4) Price Realised HKD 150,000 at Christie’s Hong Kong, 26 May 2013 A Quest For The Absolute Just exactly what do you know about a person? His life?It is simply what …
Le Pho (Vietnam/France, 1907-2001) La Promenade (The Walk) signed in Chinese and signed again ‘Le pho’ (lower left); titled and numbered ‘La promenade No 194’ (on the reverse); gallery label affixed (on the reverse) mix media on silk laid on board 45 x 26 cm. (17 3/4 x 10 1/4 in.) Painted circa. 1950 Price Realised HKD 441,000 at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 December 2022
Nguyen Gia Tri (Vietnam, 1908-1993) Nostalgie du Haut Tonkin (Nostalgia for Highland Tonkin) signed and dated ‘Ng Tri 68’ (lower right) lacquer on panel 80 x 40 cm. (31 1/2 x 15 3/4 in.) Executed in 1968 Provenance A commissioned gift to the original owner Thence by descent to the previous owner Private Collection, Sweden Acquired from the above by the present owner Private Collection, …
Le Van De (Vietnam, 1906-1966) Lady with Dove Signed and dated ’42 lower left Ink and gouache on silk laid on paper 42.5 x 26 cm. (16 1/2 x 10 1/4 in.) painted in 1942 Le Van De, The Woman With The Dove Or the deconstruction, source of disillusionment Lé Van Dé was born on August 28, 1906 in Mo Cay near Ben Tré in …
Vu Cao Dam (Vietnam, 1908-2000) Jeune Femme à Sa Coiffure signed lower right mixed media on silk laid on panel 35 by 27cm.; 13¾ by 10½in. painted in 1951 Vu Cao Dam. 1951, “Jeune Femme à Sa Coiffure” or Anna is no longer Anna In 1950, Vu Cao Dam, whose asthma was steadily getting worse, decided to leave Paris for a place that would be …
Le Pho’s Une tasse de thé (A Cup of Tea) featured on the front cover of Drouot Publication: Binoche issued on 9 June 1997 before the exhibition of Vietnamese art in the Netherlands, 1997. Handwriting by the author Christie’s Senior Expert Jean-François Hubert for Bem “Pour Bem, la meilleure” (“Dear Bem, the best”) dated 7 December 2016 on his publication Drouot: Binoche (1997).
Le Pho (1907-2001) Une tasse de thé (A Cup of Tea) signed in Chinese and signed again ‘Le pho’ (upper left); inscribed ‘Une tasse de thé’ (on the reverse) ink and gouache on silk laid on paper 36 x 29 cm. (14 1/8 x 11 3/8 in.) Painted circa 1938-1940 one seal of the artist Provenance The work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity …
Mai Trung Thu (Vietnam, 1906-1980) La Guerre (The War) signed ‘MAI THU’ and dated ‘1968’ in Chinese (lower right) ink and gouache on silk in the original frame 65.5 x 47 cm. (25 ¾ x 18 ½ in.) Painted in 1968 one seal of the artist La Guerre (The War), 1968, by Mai Thu: A Scream for Humanity Mai Thu is mostly recognized for his …
Mai Trung Thu (Vietnam/France, 1906-1980) Le Vent Printanier (The Wind of Spring) signed and dated ‘MAI THU 1940’ (upper right) ink and gouache on silk 55 x 40 cm. (21 5/8 x 15 3/4 in.) Painted in 1940 one seal of the artist Price Realised HKD 1,750,000 at Christie’s Hong Kong, 3 December 2020 SPRING WIND OR THE DEMANDING BREATH OF FREEDOM In 1940, when …
