Luong Xuan Nhi (1913-2006)

Nicknamed "the painter of beauty", the Vietnamese artist was the ambassador of his country's traditions.

Le Tricot, (The Knit), ink and colors on silk by Luong Xuan Nhi, sold for €756,440 on September 30 under the hammer of Aguttes, setting a world record for a work by the artist. The sale dedicated to the painters and arts of Vietnam thus totaled 4 million euros.

Records and preemptions were on the agenda, with examples in a variety of artistic disciplines reaching high prices.

The 8-metre-long serpentine work, offered by Aguttes during FIAC on October 20, came from the collection of Nancy Varenne Brunot. Created for the apartment of its Genevan owner, it depicts the Black Tortoise Xuan Wu, one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. Its creator died the day before aged 65.

In presenting a large installation by Huang Yong Ping, knocked down for €411,920, this contemporary art sale became a form of tribute, as the Franco-Chinese artist died on 19 October.

The new TEFAF report on the Chinese market is a curious animal… At first glance, without any apparent connection with the concerns of the European fair, the format is a far cry from the sort produced by other analysis providers.