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
reveals that the following artists whose works are sold at Thavibu Gallery, have
had paintings featured at the international auction houses.
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.
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