Image: Freeman's, Chicago
Freeman’s says its first auction devoted to Vietnamese modern art sold 15 works on July 21, 2026, bringing total results to $1,201,216. The Chicago-based auction house reported strong demand across the sale, which included works by Lê Phổ and Vũ Cao Đàm, two of the best-known names in the field.
According to Freeman’s, the auction finished 201 percent sold by value and recorded a 93 percent sell-through rate by lot. The house also said 38 percent of buyers were new to Freeman’s, a figure it highlighted alongside the overall total as evidence of broad participation in the sale.
The result adds a notable data point to the market for Vietnamese modern art, an area that has drawn increasing attention from collectors. Freeman’s framed the offering as an inaugural 'Vietnamese Modernists' auction, presenting the category as a focused collecting area rather than a dispersed segment within a broader sale.
The auction’s headline artists, Lê Phổ and Vũ Cao Đàm, are among the most recognized figures in Vietnamese modern art, and Freeman’s said the sale featured works by “some of the most influential and celebrated voices” in the field. The company did not provide a full lot-by-lot breakdown in the material supplied, but it emphasized the select nature of the sale, which comprised 15 works.
Freeman’s is a gallery and auction house with a New York gallery at 32 East 67th Street and a Chicago saleroom at 1550 West Carroll Avenue, and it has been using its newsletter and press updates to promote forthcoming auctions alongside current results. In the same message announcing the Vietnamese sale, it noted other activity in its calendar, including a summer auction of luxury goods and an online 'Vault Sale,' though those were separate offerings.
The Vietnamese modernist auction result sits alongside those wider commercial updates as one of Freeman’s recent reported sales. The house said the category’s strong performance reflects “market interest in and appreciation for this important category of Vietnamese modern art,” and the sale closed at a verified total of $1,201,216.
