Le Pho Soars at Freeman’s | Hindman’s Impressionist & Modern Art Sale

On April 30, Freeman’s | Hindman held the second edition of its Impressionist and Modern Art auction, achieving a robust $3,000,000 in total sales. Featuring standout works by Post-Impressionist masters, the sale commanded robust international participation, thus reaffirming the strength and sustained demand in this collecting category.

Lê Phổ Leads the Market

A particular highlight of the sale was the remarkable offering of eight oils by French-Vietnamese artist Lê Phổ, all of which sold within or above their pre-sale estimates. The top lot of the auction, La Clarté d’Été (Lot 44), a luminous 1970s canvas depicting a mother and child in a lush, open landscape, realized $432,300—the highest price for the artist this season, exceeding results seen in recent Hong Kong auctions. The painting, fresh to market, had been acquired from Wally Findlay Galleries in New York.

Two notable still lifes from Lê Phổ’s celebrated “Yellow Period” also outperformed expectations, selling for $197,350 (Lot 28) and $191,000 (Lot 69), respectively—more than doubling their high estimates. Altogether, the eight Lê Phổ works achieved a combined total of $1,035,000, underscoring Freeman’s | Hindman’s leading position in the U.S. market for the artist.

LEFT TO RIGHT
Lê Phổ (French/Vietnamese, 1907-2001) | Composition de Fleurs, c. 1983 | Sold for $197,350
Lê Phổ (French/Vietnamese, 1907-2001) | Le Vase Opaline Bleu | Sold for $191,000

Additional Sale Highlights

Among other standout lots was a recently rediscovered still life by James Ensor, Chinoiseries Fleuries (Lot 35), which soared past its estimate to achieve $318,000. After competitive bidding from four phone bidders, the work ultimately returned to a Belgian collector, reflecting continued global enthusiasm during the 75th anniversary of Ensor’s passing.

The auction featured seven six-figure results, including:

Lot 23 | Susanne Valadon, Nus à la Toilette
Sold for $140,200
Lot 78 | Marc Chagall, Amoureux aux Fleurs Devant la Fenêtre
Sold for $191,000
Lot 3 | Hector Hyppolite, Chemin Grésié
Sold for $159,250
Exceeding its low estimate by more than five times