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131
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LE THI LUU (1911–1988)
See original version (French)
131
-
LE THI LUU (1911–1988)
See original version (French)
Estimate €150,000 - €200,000
Voluntary lot
Description
LE THI LUU (1911–1988)
Motherhood, 1973
Coloured inks and white gouache highlights on silk mounted on cardboard.
Signed and dated lower left
35.4 x 27.3 cm
Expert: Cabinet CHANOIT, 01 47 70 22 33
Provenance:
- Collection in northern France
- Galerie J. Le Chapelin, 71 Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, gallery active between 1948 and 1977 (label on the back of the frame).
* Please note: In accordance with the terms and conditions of sale, the buyer is liable for the resale right on this lot (4% of the hammer price only for amounts between €750 and €50,000, decreasing thereafter)
Some bibliographical references:
The first woman to be admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts d’Indochine (Hanoi), Le Thi Luu made her mark in a predominantly male artistic milieu and left her stamp on her era through her intimate depictions of women and the family. This pioneer of modern Vietnamese art is one of a renowned quartet of artists from Vietnam who were active in France during the 20th century, alongside Mai Trung Thu (1906–1980), Le Pho (1907–2001) and Vu Cao Dam (1908–2000).
Born into a wealthy and cultured family, Le Thi Luu decided at a very early age to pursue a career as a painter, despite the conservative social climate of the time. She enrolled at the Hanoi School of Fine Arts under the tutelage of Victor Tardieu and Joseph Inguimberty – she was just 15 years old at the time! She graduated top of her class in 1933 and taught painting in Hanoi, then in Saigon. She travelled to France for the 1937 International Exhibition and settled there permanently.
Upon Le Thi Luu’s death, her family donated most of her works to the Saigon Museum of Fine Arts, which organised a retrospective in 2022. Her prolific body of work comprises nearly 300 paintings, and Le Thi Luu is still regarded as one of the most important Vietnamese female painters of her time.
Modern Vietnamese painting by a woman:
In the 1950s, Le Thi Luu abandoned oil on canvas to devote herself entirely to gouache and ink on silk, a traditional technique in Vietnamese painting.
Unlike most artists, for whom mounting the silk onto paper is the final stage, she began by applying the silk to the paper support. Le Thi Luu’s work consists mainly of portraits of women and children, rural landscapes and scenes from everyday life. A committed feminist, she joined the Union of Women Painters, Sculptors and Engravers during her years in Paris.
The blurred, evanescent brushwork is reminiscent of pastel and reflects the artist’s Post-Impressionist perspective; she admired the work of Auguste Renoir and Pierre Bonnard. Following in their footsteps, Le Thi Luu opts here for a vivid and luminous colour palette and a dynamic quality achieved through small touches of colour. Highlights of white illuminate the contours, bringing to life the full lips and tender gazes of the mother and child.
PLEASE NOTE! Bids and purchase orders for this lot are subject to conditions. In order to bid on this lot, you will be required to provide a deposit. Please contact our auction house before the start of the sale: [email protected] or +33 (0)3 20 68 39 28. If you have not contacted our office before the lot is offered for sale, your bids will not be accepted
Please note that bids and absentee bids on this lot are subject to conditions. To bid on this lot, a deposit will be required. You must contact the auction house at [email protected] or +33 (0)3 20 68 39 28. If you have not contacted our office before the start of the auction, your bids will not be taken into account.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Ref. : AL0939 - 1
Lot description modified on 07/31/2026 at 10:38 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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