Vu Cao Dam and Sotheby’s Hong Kong achieved new records for Vietnamese paintings

[Art]natomy

Vu Cao Dam and Sotheby’s Hong Kong achieved new records for Vietnamese paintings

Art Nation
29.09.26

Across both the evening (28 September) and day (29 September) sessions at Modern and Contemporary Art Auction of Sotheby’s Hong Kong, Vu Cao Dam’s “Elegant Gathering in the Garden (Conversation d’élégantes au jardin)” became the highest-selling work by a Vietnamese artist to date. The painting surpassed the previous record held by Mai Trung Thu’s “Portrait of Mademoiselle Phuong” (1931), which sold for US$3.1 million. The auction also witnessed impressive results for works by Mai Trung Thu, Le Pho, Joseph Inguimberty, and Tran Binh Loc.

Đọc bản tiếng Việt tại đây.

Sotheby’s held its recurring autumn auction for Modern Art and Contemporary Art in Hong Kong yesterday evening and this morning, yielding highly impressive results for Vietnamese art. Across both the evening (28 September) and the day auction (29 September), there were 18 Vietnamese artworks featured. All of them found their new owners – achieving a 100% sell-through rate – with 72% (13 out of 18) selling above the high estimate and 100% exceeding the low estimate.

The work receiving the most attention was the silk painting Elegant Gathering in the Garden (1939) by Vu Cao Dam; it sold for US$3.69 million (HK$28.96 million), inclusive of fees, becoming the highest-priced Vietnamese artwork ever publicly sold at auction and surpassing the previous record of Mai Trung Thu’s Portrait of Mademoiselle Phuong (1931). Created in 1939 and measuring a substantial 85.6 x 114.5 cm, Elegant Gathering in the Garden was exhibited at the Agence Économique de l’Indochine (Indochina Economic Agency or Agindo) in Paris. The piece was previously auctioned at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2008, as part of the Philip Ng collection, and was featured in the book Visions and Enchantment: Southeast Asian Paintings (2000), published by the Singapore Art Museum.

Vu Cao Dam’s Elegant Gathering in the Garden at Sotheby’s Auction — *Vu Cao Dam, “Elegant Gathering in the Garden (Conversation D’Élégantes Au Jardin)” (1939), ink and gouache on silk, 85.6 × 114.5 cm. Photo: Sotheby’s.*

Thus, with Elegant Gathering in the Garden, Vu Cao Dam achieved his second million-dollar-plus sale, following Women Bathing (Femmes au bain) (1944), which was sold in 2020. With this record, Sotheby’s reaffirms its leading position in the market for Vietnamese art, holding four of the top five, five of the top ten, and ten of the top twenty records.

Another standout piece in the auction was Park 15 (2005), a large-scale acrylic work by Tran Luu Hau measuring four meters in width. The painting sold for $360,000, inclusive of fees and taxes – more than double its high estimate – setting a new personal record for the artist. It also stands as the highest price ever achieved at auction for a work by an artist from the Resistance period.

Tran Luu Hau, “Park 15” (2005), acrylic on canvas, 160 × 405 cm. Photo: Sotheby’s.

Other notable works at the auction included Melody (Mélodie) (1950) by Mai Trung Thu (US$587,000), Abandon (1946) by Le Pho (US$277,000), Returning Home (Le retour) by Joseph Inguimberty (US$342,000), and Angkor Wat Temple (1938) by Tran Binh Loc (US$244,000).

Mai Trung Thu, “Melody (Mélodie)” (1950), ink and gouache on silk, 50 × 60.8 cm. Photo: Sotheby’s.

Le Pho, “Abandon” (1950), oil, ink and gouache on silk, 50 × 49 cm. Photo: Sotheby’s.

Joseph Inguimberty, “Returning Home (Le retour)” (unknown date), oil on canvas, 65.8 × 162.8 cm. Photo: Sotheby’s.

Angkor Wat (1938), Trần Bình Lộc, oil on canvas — Tran Binh Loc, “Angkor Wat Temple” (1938), oil on canvas, 71.5 × 108 cm. Photo: Sotheby’s.

Words: Ace Le – Senior Consultant, Sotheby’s
Translation: Art Nation

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