"Jeune femme attachant son foulard" (Young Lady Tying Her Scarf) by Le Pho. (Photo courtesy of Christie's)

"Jeune femme attachant son foulard" (Young Lady Tying Her Scarf) by Pho (1907-2001) fetched 8.65 million HKD (1.1 million USD), the highest bid of the four local artworks at the "20th and 21st Century Art Evening Sale".

The masterpiece, created in 1938, is a 59.5 x 48.5 centimeter ink and gouache work on silk with Pho's signature in the upper right corner.

The auction house notes on its website that the painting’s subject has been a driving force in Le Pho's life and calls it a "gift of an endless source of inspiration" in his oeuvre.

"The fine features of the lady’s diaphanous face, her headdress, her black ao dai (a rare color for such a garment), the white veil, the abundant vegetation, all set in a mountainous landscape of Tonkin, are expressed here with real originality."

The "20th and 21st Century Art Evening Sale" session also included works by two other Vietnamese artists-- Mai Trung Thu and Nguyen Phan Chanh. Four paintings by the three Vietnamese artists earned a total 21.4 million HKD (over 2.7 million USD).

Pho’s "Le Bol Bleu" (The Blue Bowl), a 75 x 44.5 centimeter ink and gouache on silk painting created in 1930, was sold for 2.75 million HKD.

Two other ink and gouache on silk paintings, "La Joconde" (Mona Lisa) by Thu (1906-1980) and "Les Teinturières" (Dyers at Work) by Chanh (1892-1984), respectively earned 5.63 million HKD and 4.38 million HKD.

Pho (1907-2001) was a prominent painter who carved out a successful career in France. In his long career he created thousands of works.

He was the first Vietnamese artist to breach the million-dollar mark. His first painting to fetch over 1 million USD was ‘Family Life’ at Sotheby's Hong Kong auction house in April 2017.