A painting by artist Le Quoc Loc was sold for 32 billion VND.

Initially, the painting "Phnom Penh Landscape" was estimated to fetch between 200,000 and 300,000 euros. When the auction began, the starting bid was 150,000 euros, which steadily rose to a peak of 940,000 euros. Ultimately, the painting was successfully auctioned for 1.21 million euros after taxes.

Previously, this work belonged to the collection of the Henry Kraemer family. In 1943, while living in Hanoi, Henry and his wife purchased the eight-panel screen from Le Quoc Loc – who at the time was a newly graduated artist, unknown and facing economic difficulties. In 1953, the Henry Kraemer family took the work with them to live in France.

According to Asium, "The Phnom Penh Landscape" possesses a refined and gentle beauty, divided into three perspectives: a monk praying, some people bestowing blessings on women, and people strolling around. Typical Phnom Penh trees such as palm trees, coconut trees, and banana trees also appear in the artwork.

The incredibly subtle blend of colors highlights two distinct yet harmonious shades within a single whole. While yellow symbolizes spirituality and happiness, red represents life and good fortune. Furthermore, the use of materials such as wood, lacquer resin, gold leaf, and eggshells in the lacquer artwork evokes a sense of warmth and peace in the viewer.

Art researcher Ngo Kim Khoi was contacted by the auction house to write an introduction to the artwork in both Vietnamese and French. They also provided him with documents related to the screen's origins.

Mr. Khoi shared: "Besides the beauty and grandeur of the painting, the clear origin of the artwork is also a decisive factor. This is a welcome sign for the Vietnamese art market as another painting has reached the million-dollar mark. We don't judge art by material value, but we cannot deny this either."

Besides the painting "Phnom Penh Landscape," the international collection of Vietnamese artworks is showing increasingly positive signs. While many events and activities are still restricted due to the pandemic, recently, many Vietnamese artworks have been auctioned internationally for prices reaching tens of billions of Vietnamese dong.

Khanh Ha