Paintings Vu Cao Dam - Value, price, artist

If you own a work by or after Cao Dam Vu, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will be happy to offer you their appraisal services.

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Rating and artist value Cao Dam Vu

The artist Cao Dam Vu has left behind a distinctive body of work, composed mainly of drawings and sculptures. He is French-Vietnamese.

Prices for his works are now rising under the auctioneer's hammer. The price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €100 to €690,340, a significant gap but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to Cao Dam Vu's works.

It is particularly popular with buyers from Hong Kong, Vietnam and France.

In 2019, a terracotta statue of a kneeling woman sold for €204,750, whereas it was estimated at €29,550 to €40,920. Its value has exploded in recent years.

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious

Style and technique of artist Cao Dam Vu  

Cao Dam Vu, an emblematic figure of Vietnamese painting in the XXᵉ century, has distinguished himself with a style that skilfully combines tradition and modernity, making him a bridge between his country's cultural heritage and Western artistic currents.

Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts d'Indochine, he brilliantly masters the classic techniques of silk painting, a medium he reinvents with a deeply personal sensibility and vision.

Her compositions, often imbued with poetry, are characterized by delicate lines, pastel shades and meticulous attention to detail, which imbue her works with an atmosphere of serenity and contemplation.

The precision of his strokes, combined with a touch of chromatic boldness, reflects a deep attachment to Vietnamese culture, while incorporating Western influences perceptible in the balance of form, subtle perspective and structuring of space.

His works explore timeless themes such as rural life, family scenes and landscapes, sublimated by a soft, enveloping light that lends them an almost dreamlike dimension.

By enriching the Vietnamese pictorial tradition with innovative processes, Cao Dam Vu has pushed back the limits of the medium, transforming each canvas into a celebration of harmony and delicacy.

This unique approach has established him as a major figure in Indochinese art, whose legacy continues to inspire artists and art lovers around the world.

The life of Cao Dam Vu

Cao Dam Vu was born in Hanoi in 1908, into a Catholic Vietnamese family of 14 children.

His father mastered Chinese calligraphy, but studied Latin and French, among other subjects, which led to him being sent to Paris by the Vietnamese government for the 1889 Universal Exhibition.

In this prolific family context for a first-rate artistic education, Cao Dam Vu studied at the Hanoi School of Fine Arts, where he was encouraged by Victor Tardieuthe school's co-founder.

He was one of the first students to join the sculpture department, where he began sculpting in terracotta and bronze.

In 1931, he received a scholarship to continue his studies in Paris, and took part in that year's Colonial Exhibition at the Porte Dorée. He also exhibited some of his work at the Maison d'Indochine, and discussed his production with Rodin and Giacometti.

He studied the classics of Western painting, from Rembrandt to Matisse, which influenced some of his work. He marries pianist Renée Appriou, whom he meets in Paris; they have two children.

During Ho Chi Minh's visit to Paris, he asked to meet him so that he could create a bronze portrait of him. During the same period, he also produced a number of silk paintings.

Due to health problems, he moved to the south of France, where he made the acquaintance of Chagall and Matisse. He ended his career in Saint Paul de Vence, where he printed his lithographs. He died there in 2000.

Focus on Young woman in kimono, Cao Dam Vu

Cao Dam Vu's Jeune femme en kimono embodies the elegance and subtlety of her art. Painted on silk, it illustrates with rare delicacy the harmony between tradition and modernity that so characterizes the artist's work.

The young woman, with her pensive gaze, is wrapped in a flowing kimono whose floral motifs seem almost palpable thanks to the finesse of the details.

Pastel tones, mainly in shades of blue and ochre, create a soothing ambience, enhanced by a soft play of light that skims the folds of fabric and subtly illuminates the subject's face.

The composition, though spare, reflects a remarkable mastery of space. The central figure occupies a balanced position, surrounded by carefully preserved voids that underline its elegance and serenity.

This dialogue between the subject and its environment, typical of Cao Dam Vu's work, invites the viewer to contemplate the apparent simplicity while at the same time soaking up the emotional intensity it conveys.

Through this painting, Cao Dam Vu celebrates both Vietnamese tradition and the influence of European techniques, notably in the rendering of textures and the play of shadows. 

Jeune femme en kimono is not simply a portrait; it's a window onto the intimacy and soul of its model, revealing the artist's deeply human and poetic approach.

Cao Dam Vu's imprint on his period

Cao Dam Vu marked his era by embodying an artistic bridge between millennia-old Vietnamese traditions and the effervescence of European influences in the XXᵉ century.

Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts d'Indochine, he was part of an innovative movement aimed at redefining local art, opening it up to new perspectives while respecting its essence.

His delicate, meticulous works on silk bear witness to a deep attachment to ancestral techniques, which he has reinterpreted with striking modernity.

At a time when Vietnam was undergoing profound cultural and political transformations, Cao Dam Vu preserved the richness of its visual heritage while integrating it into a global artistic dialogue.

His compositions, marked by a quest for harmony and exceptional sensitivity, have influenced a whole generation of artists seeking to combine heritage and innovation.

Exploring intimate themes such as everyday Vietnamese life and the female figure, he offered an authentic, poetic vision of his country, capturing both the beauty of the moment and the soul of a people.

Cao Dam Vu's mark on his time lies in his ability to magnify traditions while inscribing them in a universal artistic dynamic, making him an emblematic figure of modern Indochinese art.

Cao Dam Vu's influences

Cao Dam Vu is part of an artistic line deeply influenced by Vietnamese cultural heritage and the modernist currents introduced by the Indochina School of Fine Arts.

His creations reveal an admiration for ancestral techniques, in particular silk painting and lacquer, which he has sublimated with a contemporary approach.

The influence of European masters such as Maurice Denis and Paul Gauguin, passed on by teachers such as Victor Tardieu and Joseph Inguimberty, can be seen in his treatment of color and his sense of composition, which balances refinement and simplicity.

Asian pictorial traditions, notably the use of a subtle palette and the search for visual harmony, also permeate his work, as do the motifs of everyday Vietnamese life, which enrich his artistic universe.

This dual Western and Eastern influence has enabled Cao Dam Vu to forge a personal aesthetic in which modernity meets cultural authenticity.

Through his work, he pays homage to classical techniques while exploring new avenues, making him a key player in the artistic fusion between two worlds.

Recognizing the artist's signature

Cao Dam Vu signs his works most of the time. However, it is essential to have your work appraised to be sure of its originality. There are, of course, many copies.

Knowing the value of a work

If you happen to own a work by Cao Dam Vu or by the artist, please feel free to ask for a free estimate by filling in the form on our website.

A member of our team of experts and certified auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your work, as well as any relevant information about it.

If you wish to sell your work of art, our specialists will also be on hand to help you sell it at the best possible price, taking into account market trends.