Le Pho’s Figures in a garden is the largest known composition by the celebrated artist, and the only three-panelled canvas composition to surface in the market. Grand in scale and painted with a vibrant, jovial palette, the present work features six life-sized figures basking in a blanket of yellow sunshine, ensconced within a plethora of flora and foliage in a garden. Figures in a garden dates to the artist’s prolific Findlay period, named after Wally Findlay Galleries, the gallery that represented Le Pho and Vu Cao Dam from 1963 onwards. The works from this period are characterized by vivacious tones and large oil-on-canvas compositions that appealed to the American collects or base.

This impressively scaled work features a woman garbed in an orange ao dai nonchalantly perched on a blue bench, watching over her son who waters a tall green plant housed in a blue and white porcelain vase. Another mother affectionately cradles her baby as she strolls through the garden, followed by her son. A bed of purple pansies and sprightly daisies ground the composition in the foreground. The picture plane is infused with a scorching, yellow backdrop, with no distant horizon line, causing the figures to appear enshrouded within an endless, kaleidoscopic orchard. The artist skillfully imbues the composition with a sense of depth by including a maiden with cascading, black hair daydreaming in the distance. She appears almost suspended in mid-air, bringing a surreal quality to the work.

The present work was featured in the exhibition Contemporary Panelled Screens at Wally Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, Florida in 1973. A slightly smaller, 3-panel screen by Vu Cao Dam was also included in this exhibition. While each panel can be considered a stand-alone work in terms of scale and quality, placing them together conjures a spectacular composition that flows smoothly from one scene to the next. The painting was originally displayed standing on the floor, the panels connected by hinges. Alternatively, it can be presented flat and framed, resembling an impressively sized canvas composition. Standing as one of the strongest known works from Le Pho’s integral Findlay period and painted during the height of his career, the present lot is a paragon of the artist’s oeuvre.

《庭院人物》是黎譜的已知作品中尺寸最大的畫作，亦是這位備受推崇的藝術家於市場上唯一一幅三聯畫。畫中六個真人比例的人物在花園裡享受明媚的黃色陽光，四周是滿園的花草樹木，明亮燦爛的色調散發著歡樂的氣息。《庭院人物》出自黎譜極為多產的「芬尼時期」（Findlay period），這時期取名自從1963年起代理黎譜及武高談的威利．芬尼畫廊（Wally Findlay Galleries）。黎譜這時期的作品大多為尺寸偌大的油畫創作，色調活潑鮮艷，深受美國收藏家歡迎。

在這幅壯觀的作品中，一位身穿橙色越南長襖（奧黛）的女士安坐於藍色長椅上，觀察著兒子為一棵栽種在藍白色花瓶中的綠色植物澆水。畫中另一位母親正溫柔地抱著嬰兒漫步於花園中，她的兒子在後方緊緊跟隨她的步伐。一堆紫色的紫羅蘭和充滿朝氣的雛菊，佔據著構圖下方的前景。畫中不見遙遠的地平線，只以絢爛的黃色為背景，令畫中人物猶如被無盡而色彩多變的花園籠罩著；遠處還有一位長髮黑潤豐盈、正在做白日夢的少女，巧妙地為畫面增添深度。少女似是懸浮於空中，讓本作看起來更超塵脫俗。

本作曾在佛羅里達棕櫚灘的威利．芬尼畫廊於1973年舉辦的「現代屏風」（Contemporary Panelled Screens）展覽中展出。同場亦展出另一幅尺寸較小的武高談三聯畫。按尺寸及質素而言，本作的每一張畫幅均可視為獨立作品，但將三張畫幅並置時，場景之間無縫接軌並一氣呵成，建構出更壯麗的畫面。本作當年展出時，畫幅直立於地面，畫幅之間以鉸鏈連繫固定。本作亦可平躺擺放及裱入畫框，組成一幅極大的油畫。《庭院人物》出自黎譜藝術生涯的巔峰，更是其極具代表性的「芬尼時期」中最優秀的作品，可謂他的典範之作。