Article | South East Asian Modern Contemporary Art Phillips Auction Hong Kong September 2026

The Inquiring Eye: Property From a Distinguished Collection, Southeast Asia

Phillips Hong Kong is pleased to present 24 artworks from "The Inquiring Eye: Property From a Distinguished Collection, Southeast Asia" across Hong Kong sales in auctions taking place through spring 2027. Collected over 50 years, the works chart a personal evolution. Shaped by a lifelong dedication to learning, art history, and Balinese culture, the collection bridges works by European expatriates and pioneering Asian masters.

This personal narrative is led by masterpieces such as Affandi’s explosive impasto canvas Roller Coaster, EXPO '70, Osaka, alongside Hendra Gunawan’s vibrant humanistic scenes. Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merprès’ luminous Renang and Ni Pollok anchors the collector's devotion to the European masters living and sojourning in Bali. Parallel to his love for Bali, he sought out Modern Nanyang Pioneers who synthesized Chinese ink traditions with Western modernism — spanning Lee Man Fong’s rich scene Snack stall in Bali to Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Wen Hsi, and Tay Bak Koi’s transformation of traditional kampong subjects into elegant abstract or semi-abstract forms.

Lê Phổ

A leading figure in Vietnamese Modernism, Lê Phổ bridged Vietnam’s traditional artistry with the modernist techniques he encountered in Paris. Dame avec éventail exemplifies his unique ability to harmonize Eastern and Western aesthetics.

Lê Phổ, who trained at the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine in Hanoi and later built his career in Paris, became a cultural ambassador for Vietnam. His works reflect a profound connection to his heritage, evident in the áo dài worn by his subjects, while also revealing the influence of European Modernism. The flattened perspective, intricate patterns, and muted tones lend the scene an ethereal quality, embodying the cultural and artistic duality that defines his oeuvre.

Bùi Xuân Phái

Perhaps the best known of the Vietnamese modern painters, Bùi Xuân Phái gained international renown for his gouache paintings of old Hanoi, as seen here, as well as his portraits of Vietnamese opera actors and singers. A graduate of Indochina Fine Arts College in Hanoi, Phái became a painter against the wishes of his Confucianist family, as painting was not considered to be a sufficiently prestigious profession in the 1920s.

Phai was widely respected and admired for both his artistic achievements and moral character, losing his teaching position at the Hanoi College of Fine Arts in 1957 after supporting Nhân Văn-Giai Phẩm, a ‘reactionary’ movement for political and cultural freedom. He was not allowed to show his work in public until a solo exhibition in 1984, four years before his passing. Today, his work is seen in a new light.

Vu Cao Dam

Born in Hanoi in 1908, pioneering Vietnamese artist Vu Cao Dam masterfully blended his Eastern heritage with Western artistic sensibilities. After his initial studies in Vietnam, a 1931 scholarship brought him to Paris, where exposure to European masterpieces inspired him to transition from sculpture to painting. He remained in France for the rest of his life, eventually settling in the Mediterranean region.

Dam aimed to revitalize Indo-Chinese art by fusing its traditional qualities with Occidental techniques. He is best known for his poetic figure paintings, which frequently depict Vietnamese women, mothers, and folkloric subjects, as exemplified by Maternité from 1953. His compositions are noted for their luminous, delicate color palettes — often utilizing soft blues, pinks, and whites — which starkly contrast with the dark hair and eyes of his subjects. A highly exhibited artist, his legacy lives on in numerous prestigious museum collections today.