Offered in the "Modern Day Auction" session of Sotheby's Hong Kong on Oct. 6, Vu Cao Dam's "Mother and Child" sold for HK$819,000 (US$104,330). The 1964 oil-on-canvas measures 53x33 centimeters. It depicts a mother with dark hair tied back in a bun, wearing a blue ao dai, holding her child. The auction house describes the painting as evocative of maternal love - Dam’s favorite subject. Photo by Sotheby's
Vu Cao Dam (Vietnam and France, 1908-2000) was a prominent artist and sculptor of his time. Graduating from the Indochina College of Fine Arts in 1931, he was part of the Vietnamese ‘quartet painters in Europe’, alongside Le Pho, Mai Trung Thu and Le Thi Luu.
“Maternite” (Maternity) sold for 488,480 euro ($436,651) at Aguttes’ “Painters and Arts from Vietnam” auction on Oct. 4. The 61x46-centimeter ink and color on silk work dates from about 1950. The mother-child bond was portrayed through the figures’ hand gestures and can also be seen in the affectionate shared gaze. The use of pastel colors emanates tenderness and serenity. This is one of Vu Cao Dam’s few silk paintings throughout his career. Photo by Aguttes
Aguttes’ session also featured the late artist’s “Mere et enfant”, which fetched 220,530 euro. The oil-on-canvas work, measuring at 100x73 centimeters, was signed and dated on the lower right corner. Sculpting knowledge had helped him refine figure proportions and curves in paintings, Vu Cao Dam once shared. Photo by Aguttes
Painted in 1961, "Maternite" went for 156,000 euro. On a floral abstract background, the artist depicts the figure of a mother holding her child on her lap, head tilted into the woman’s chest. The blue and white color scheme illuminates their surroundings. This 65x54-centimeter oil-on-canvas piece was signed and dated on the lower right corner. Photo by Aguttes
"Maternite" fetched 220,520 euro at the Aguttes’ auction on March 14. The 61x49,8 centimeter oil on masonite work is presented in an original frame made by the artist. According to Aguttes, this piece was initially sold to a collector in the early 1950s and passed from hand to hand before being put up for auction under a French private collection. Photo by Aguttes
"Composition", measuring 61x50,5 centimeters, sold for HK$687,500 in May 2021. The oil on canvas work depicts a child frolicking around two women, believed to be its mother and a family member. It was completed in 1965, during the painter's prolific Findlay period, named after Wally Findlay Galleries, the gallery that represented Le Pho and Vu Cao Dam from 1963 onwards. Photo by Christie's
In July 2020, the 1968 60x50-centimeter oil-on-canvas painting “Composition” (Family Group with Horse) was sold at HK$525,000 at Sotheby's Hong Kong auction house. This artwork once belonged to the private collection of Monaco. Photo by Sotheby's
The ink and colors on silk "Maternite" went for 271,560 euro in March 2020. It depicts a woman in traditional attire, holding a child with one arm, the white turban serving as embellishment. For the background, Dam employed a realistic approach to paint a garden bearing multifarious fruits. Aguttes described the 1930 silk painting as Vu Cao Dam’s masterpiece of finesse and delicacy. Photo by Aguttes
"Maternite” fetched HK$1.2 million at Christie's auction in November 2018. Dated 1966, the 80,5x65,5-centimeter oil-on-canvas was previously exhibited at Vixseboxse Art Gallery in Ohio, the U.S. It resided in a private U.S. collection before going on auction.
Unlike Le Pho and Mai Trung Thu, Vu Cao Dam currently does not have any work crossing the million-dollar threshold. Nevertheless, experts like Pham Long and Ngo Kim Khoi believe that his art would continue to increase in value. Photo by Christie's
