This article aims at looking into sales records for South East Asian paintings at international auctions.  Auctions are held regularly in Singapore and Hong Kong, usually twice yearly, and sometimes South East Asian paintings are featured in European or American auctions as well.  Browsing through sales catalogues reveals that the first country in South East Asia in terms of paintings sold at the auctions, is Indonesia.  Some of the Indonesian paintings were by old European and Dutch artists who used to live in Indonesia, in particular Bali. However, nowadays many younger Indonesian artists are well represented too.  There is a strong domestic market for Indonesian paintings, and Indonesian collectors travel frequently to attend auctions. 

The second country on the list is Vietnam, and here the situation is rather different from Indonesia.  This is not mainly a domestic market, but more international since there are few Vietnamese collectors at the auctions.  Here too we find old works by European, mostly French, artists who lived in Vietnam - or French Indochina as it was known as.  However, as the market develops,  contemporary Vietnamese artists of younger generations have also started to make their marks. 

A search at

Updated May, 2009

The number of paintings sold may be lower than number of paintings featured at auctions since works are sometimes offered for sale, but there is no buyer.  From the table, it is apparent that Vietnamese artists have done better than Burmese and Thai at international auctions, but this may change in the future.

It is always difficult to make predictions, but with an intimate knowledge of the art scene in these three countries and the market, I have a few suggestions.  Nguyen Trung is an excellent artist so his works should continue to be in high demand.  Hong Viet Dung's paintings are constantly in high demand, so they will probably sell on a regular basis, although his subjects are limited in range.  As for Nguyen Thanh Binh, he has potential with some of his works.  He is prolific and the quality is sometimes uneven.  His best works though, are masterpieces.  Look out for new artists, such as the lacquer painters Dinh Quan and Trinh Tuan.

U Lun Gywe stands out among the Burmese artists.  He is an old master, and his works will likely be sold at auctions more frequently in the future.  His works are a bargain at today's prices.  Other Burmese artists may follow later. Aung Kyaw Htet is a younger artist to look out for.  Thai art is diverse in terms of media and expression, perhaps the most diverse in the region.  And Thai art has seen a rapid raise at the international auctions lately, in particular works by Vasan Sitthiket and Thaweesak Srithongdee. 

A word of caution.  There are strong indications that fakes are being made, even of works by young contemporary painters.  The problem is particularly acute in Vietnam.  Fake Vietnamese paintings have likely been sold at the auction houses and will probably continue to be.  Provenance and reputable art dealers are of paramount importance.