Tôn Thât Bao
Two Young Women, 1936
Ink and colours on silk laid on paper, 53 × 48 cm visible

World Record for a Work by Tôn Thât Bao

At Osenat's Furniture & Works of Art sale held on 25 April in Fontainebleau, a work by Tôn Thât Bao achieved a new world record, selling for €179,200 against a pre-sale estimate of €15,000/20,000 — confirming the strength of the Vietnamese market and the sustained interest in Indochinese art of the 20^th century.

A Painter Trained at the Heart of the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine

Tôn Thât Bao, born in 1910, was a Vietnamese painter of imperial lineage from Huế, trained in the 1930s at the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine under the direction of Victor Tardieu, alongside Luong Xuân Nhi and other significant artists. Unlike his contemporaries Lê Phô, Mai Thu or Vũ Cao Đàm, his career remained based in Vietnam rather than developing internationally, which accounts for his relative obscurity outside specialist circles.

A Youthful Work of Remarkable Sensitivity

The painting presented here, dated 1936, is an early work. Executed on silk — a medium favoured by artists of the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine — it depicts female figures, the artist's preferred subject. A subtle palette of greens, browns and ochres creates a gentle, contemplative atmosphere, while the balance of the composition and the sensitivity of the subject make this a particularly accomplished piece.

Its provenance, from the former collection of a French airline captain stationed in Vietnam and Laos during the 1950s, together with its place within the founding period of modern Vietnamese art, adds considerable historical significance.

A Rising Market for the Hanoi School

The international market is showing growing enthusiasm for artists of the Hanoi School. Against this backdrop, seasoned collectors have recognised the quality and rarity of works by Tôn Thât Bao, whose draughtsmanship is on a par with the finest artists of his generation. This exceptional result reflects the vitality of the Indochinese art market and the expertise Osenat brings to this field.