Adam's FINE ASIAN ART Part I 28th & Part II 29th June 2022

150 304 IN THE MANNER OF VICTOR TARDIEU (FRANCE & VIETNAM, 1870-1937) CO-FOUNDER OF THE ECOLE DES BEAUX-ARTS DE L’INDOCHINE (INDOCHINA FINE ARTS COLLEGE - EBAI) A view of an old laundry building with washing women and fishermen Oil on canvas Unsigned The back of the canvas bears two handwritten inscriptions attributing the painting to: ‘Victor Tardieu’ 38,5 x 68,2 cm € 1,500 - 3,000 305 LÊ PHỔ (VIETNAM & FRANCE, 1907-2001) ECOLE DES BEAUX-ARTS DE L’INDOCHINE (INDOCHINA FINE ARTS COLLEGE), 1ST CLASS (1925-1930) Bouquet de lys ou Nature morte au vase meiping fleuri d’hibiscus et au bol bleu blanc (Bouquet of Lily of Still life with a meiping vase with lily flowers and a bleu and white bowl) Gouache on paper Signed to the lower right Framed with a glass 44,3 x 36,3 cm (the full leaf out of the frame) Provenance: René et Raymonde Altobianchi, antique dealers active in the 1960s-1980s in l’Escarène, near Nice, French Riviera, where Lê Phổ settled after the French army, in which he enrolled in Carcassonne, was defeated by German. Their shop was named ‘César de Peluet’ after the first name of the father of Raymonde. Probably acquired in the 1970s from a local Estate. René Altobianchi was also an ornamental sculptor and was awarded the Medal of the French National Order of Merit for his volunteer role as a technical director of judo, which he practiced along with Yves Klein, a world-renowned artist of the School of Nice prized, notably, for his famous ‘Leap into the void’ and his ‘IKB blue’. NOTICE TO BIDDERS: This lot has been authenticated by the Wally Findlay Institute, USA. According to them, it will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne of the artist. The buyer will bear the cost of this certificate. Please e-mail the department for further details: yuchen@adams.ie. This lot is stored at CADOGAN TATE PARIS. Please contact CADOGAN TATE at Parc des Docks, Bâtiment 553B, 50 rue Ardouin, St Ouen, 93400 Paris, France, +33 1 48 20 85 60 . Notes: 1. One of the leading figures of modern Vietnamese art, Lê Ph ổ was born in 1907 in Hà Tây province into a respected Mandarin family, his father being the last viceroy of Tonkin. Showing a predisposition for painting and drawing, he entered the first class of the Indochina School of Fine Arts in 1925. He was soon noticed by the director and founder of the school, Victor Tardieu, for whom he retained a strong attachment throughout his life. In 1931, he came to France to present his works on the occasion of the International Colonial Exhibition. He chose to stay in Paris for a year to attend classes at the École des Beaux-Arts, then undertook several trips to Europe. He returned to Vietnam in 1933 and taught at the Indochina School of Fine Arts in Hanoi. He decided to settle permanently in France in 1937 and quickly became very well known. 2. Lily symbolizes purity and fertility. The sweet and innocent beauty of the lily flower has given it the association of fresh life and rebirth. In this painting, Lê Ph ổ pays tribute to the classic genre of still life, whilst bringing his fresh vision on it, thereby creating an image at the confluence of the Western and the East Asian pictorial traditions. The discreet and quickly painted low-tone grey background, possibly a reference to the Spanish Bodegones, contrasts with the vivid red of the round table. On the latter are depicted two antique Chinese porcelains: a Ming style blue and white bowl resting on a wooden legged-stand and a Yuan stype Meiping vase flowered with white lillies. 3. Bouquet of flowers was one of the main subjects depicted by Lê Ph ổ along with young women. In some paintings, he even combined both subjects, as one can see in a work entitled ‘Nostalgie’ sold at CHRISTIE’S Hong Kong, China, 2018-11-24, under lot number 44. The artist mastered at painting all varieties of flowers with bright colors and a rare freshness. The record price at auction for a bouquet of flowers was achieved at SOTHEBY’S Hong Kong, China, 2020-07-09, lot 268 at €273,153. € 20,000 - 40,000