The PHO

Le Pho, born in 1907 in Hadong, is a major 20 century Vietnamese artist whose works are now sought by the greatest collectors in Asia.

Graduating in 1930 from the Indochina School of Fine Arts’ first class, he was selected for his talent as a painter by Victor Tardieu as assistant for the Colonial Exhibition of Paris in 1931. This was an opportunity for Le Pho to discover France, of course, and also Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy. He stayed in Beijing in 1934 and studied traditional Chinese painting. In 1937, he chose to settle permanently in Paris.

This artist’s strength lies in the assimilation and the association of his sources of inspiration, where Western heritage and traditional Vietnamese art, influenced by Chinese touches, are idealised and intermingled in works recognisable for their technical innovations.

There are two major periods in his work that follow on from each other chronologically. The artist gradually moved away from silk painting and Asian techniques towards oils, inspired by the Impressionists, showing familiarity with European avant-garde works.

His works are exhibited in Europe and the US, and the Museums of Modern Art in Paris and Vietnam and the Ottawa Art Center are proud to have his work in their permanent collections.

Our evaluation of the painted work (i.e. the gouaches, inks, silk paints and oils) of Le Pho/Mai Thu/Vu Cao Dam enables us to assert the pictorial and technical quality of these paintings and thus meet the demands of collectors who are mostly located in Asia, and have confidence in us. This evaluation is recommended before presentation at auction and before any estimates are given. Following this technical assessment, we give a positive or negative opinion about a work’s inclusion in the catalogue raisonné we are putting together.

We are currently assembling a catalogue raisonné of the works of Le Pho, so please send us photos of your works for their inclusion.

More information by clicking on the photos