LÊ PHỔ (1907-2001) - Lot 213

LÊ PHỔ (1907-2001) Two young women Pencil, gouache and ink on silk pasted on cardboard Signed lower left in French and Vietnamese 47 x 31.5 cm (view) Framed RELATED WORKS This work is related to "Deux jeunes femmes" ( Nice, 1947, colors on silk, Private collection) exhibited at the Musée Cernuschi for the exhibition "Lê Phô, Mai-Thu, Vu Cao Dam: Pionniers de l'art moderne vietnamien en France" from October 11, 2024 to March 9, 2025. Resale rights are the responsibility of the buyer. The condition report is available on request from contact@neo-encheres.com. The DrouotLive service will be deactivated for this lot. If you wish to bid, please contact NEO Auctions beforehand. PROVENANCE Private collection, Paris region NOTICE Lê Phổ, an internationally renowned Vietnamese painter, is particularly well known for his works on silk, in which he combines Vietnamese pictorial traditions with Western influences. His silk technique allows for a unique softness and luminosity that lends his compositions an almost ethereal quality. In his works, he often depicts intimate scenes, portraits of Vietnamese women, gardens and still lifes, evoking the beauty and harmony of Vietnamese culture. Lê Phổ follows in the footsteps of the great Vietnamese silk masters, such as Nguyễn Phan Chánh, who introduced modernity to this traditional technique, and Mai Trung Thứ, whose portraits and scenes of Vietnamese life capture grace and serenity. Vu Cao Dam and Tran Phuc Duyen also share with Lê Phổ an interest in aesthetics and fine detail, each expressing through silk a poetic vision of Vietnam. The quality of Lê Phổ' work, marked by soft tones and flowing lines, is often compared to that of Pham Hau and Nguyen Gia Tri, who also use traditional techniques to sublimate Vietnamese culture and nature. Lê Phổ's works on silk are prized for their ability to capture a timeless, meditative essence, through compositions full of refinement and emotion. Today, these paintings are sought after not only for their visual beauty, but also for their role in the preservation and evolution of Vietnamese art in the XXᵉ century. Part of this artist's work is on show October 11, 2024 to March 9, 2025 at the Musée Cernuschi in Paris. This is the first major retrospective in France of three pioneers of modern Vietnamese art, Lê Phô (1907-2001), Mai-Thu (1906-1980) and Vu Cao Dam (1908-2000).