London: An oil painting by Vu Cao Dam, a pivotal figure in 20th-century Vietnamese art, has fetched £45,000 (1.55 billion VND) at Sloane Street Auctions in London. Titled “Property of a Lady of Title,” this artwork marked a significant milestone as the first Vietnamese piece to be auctioned at this renowned establishment. The painting was previously showcased in a solo exhibition by Dam in 1960, hosted by the well-known Frost and Reed Gallery in London.

According to Vietnam News Agency, Vu Cao Dam was born in Hanoi in 1908 into a prosperous family and was the fifth of fourteen siblings. He was exposed to French culture from an early age, which significantly influenced his artistic development. Dam graduated from the Hanoi College of Fine Arts, where he studied under French painters Victor Tardieu and Joseph Inguimberty. In 1931, he received a scholarship to study further at the Ecole de Louvre in Paris. Later, in 1949, he and his family moved to southern France, continuing his artistic journey.