Auction Sales of South East Asian Paintings

The table below shows contemporary art from Southeast Asia [Thai, Vietnamese, Myanmar] being featured at international auctions. Auctions are held regularly in Singapore and Hong Kong and to a growing extent in Jakarta, usually twice yearly, and sometimes Southeast Asian paintings are featured in European or American auctions as well. Browsing through sales catalogues reveals that the first country in Southeast Asia in terms of paintings sold at the auctions, is Indonesia. Vietnamese paintings feature quite prominently, Thai paintings are on the rise and a few Myanmar artists do well.

Updated November 2020

A word of caution. There are strong indications that fakes are being sold at auctions, even works by young contemporary painters and not only those by the old masters. The problem is particularly acute in Vietnam and Indonesia. Provenance and reputable art dealers are of paramount importance.

Jørn Middelborg