Cao Dam VU (1908-2000) Peonies, circa 1954 Oil on silk mounted on panel, signed lower left. 61 x 38 cm Our thanks to Mme Yannick Vu Jakober, the artist's daughter, who kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work from a photograph. VU Cao Dam began his career as a sculptor before turning to painting. A graduate of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine and a pupil of Victor Tardieu, VU presented a bronze head of "Jeune fille annamite" at the Exposition Coloniale Internationale in Paris in 1931. He won a scholarship and settled permanently in Paris in 1937. He abandoned sculpture in favor of oil painting and, above all, silk painting. His subjects remained essentially oriented towards Vietnamese culture: young girls dressed in traditional "ao dai" costume. In the early part of his career, silk was still the artist's preferred medium. Our painting depicts peonies, a symbol of wealth or happiness that VU describes with poetry. Our work bears witness to the artist's evolution towards oils in the 1950s. Through the subject and treatment, the artist crystallizes the dual Western and Far Eastern influences that mark his work. This lot is subject to restrictions: If you wish to bid, please contact the studio by e-mail at [email protected]. Anyone wishing to bid on this lot must register with the auction house and make a deposit of 20,000 euros up to 72 hours before the sale. This deposit must be made by bank transfer or via our website (payment/online deposit page). No live bids will be accepted for this lot; only pre-registered bidders may bid by telephone.