Mother and Daughter with Iris

Thang Long Art Gallery is pleased to have successfully acquired this beautiful and prestigious artwork from Lot 16 Sotheby's Paris auction in November 2023 - Magnificence and Regality - The Princely Collection of Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Lộc. The painting will be included in the artist’s forthcoming catalogue raisonné prepared by the artist’s son, Alain Le Kim. The painting is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity prepared by the artist’s son, Alain Le Kim. This artwork has gathered a huge amount of interest and was sold to a very high-profile collector in Hanoi.

A tranquil, leisurely scene depicted with bright, enchanting colours, Mother and Daughter with Iris is a testament to Lê Phổ’s remarkable artistic vision and stylistic transformation. After moving to France in 1937, Lê Phổ settled in Nice during World War II, where he met Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse on the Côte d’Azur. Inspired by these two Post-Impressionist masters, Lê Phổ developed his own visual vocabulary, breaking new ground in his use of light and colour. This oil on canvas painting is typical of the artist’s late period style, as he secured representation with Wally Findlay Galleries and started exhibiting in the United States of America.

This work captures a warm and intimate moment between a mother and daughter. The mother, in a lime-green áo dài, is attentively adjusting a bouquet of flowers with a little girl in pink a few steps away, quietly accompanying her. The bouquet of iris in the centre of the painting stands in proud, lively splendour, reminiscent of Vincent Van Gogh’s series of irises. The vase is richly detailed with gold minutiae. The work reflects the influence of French Impressionism on Lê Phổ’s late work, as he incorporate the pastel blue and yellow hues of the French Riviera in the background. The artist favoured stylized, idealised Vietnamese female figures, and boldly textured brushstrokes, thus capturing a romanticized view of modern family life. The painting’s colours are vibrant, as seen in the green of the mother’s áo dài and nearly fluorescent quality of the green leaves.

Lê Phổ executed this joyful, well composed painting during the important “Findlay’s period” of his later career. Mother and Daughter with Iris combines Lê Phổ’s favourite themes of family and flowers and embodies his experimental spirit and ceaseless self-transformation.