Works by major figures in Korean modern and contemporary art will go under the hammer ahead of Kiaf Seoul and Frieze Seoul in September. The sales will include pieces by Kim Koo, Park Soo-keun, Kim Tschang-yeul, Kim Whanki and Chun Kyung-ja.
Seoul Auction will hold its 194th Art Auction at its Gangnam Center in Seoul at 4 p.m. on Aug. 25. The sale comprises 117 lots spanning modern and contemporary art, traditional art and luxury items. The combined low estimate is approximately 9.1466 billion won.
The auction will include “Long Live Independence,” a calligraphic work created by Korean independence leader Kim Koo on Jan. 8, 1948. The date marked the beginning of the arrival of representatives from the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea in Seoul.
An inscription on the work records the date and the commission’s arrival. Seoul Auction said the calligraphy reflects Kim’s support for national independence and unification. The work is estimated at 20 million to 40 million won. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Kim’s birth.
Kim Tschang-yeul’s 1981 painting “Waterdrops” will be shown in Korea for the first time. The 162.5-by-129.9-centimeter work was exhibited at FIAC at the Grand Palais in Paris in October 1981. It carries an estimate of 600 million to 1.2 billion won.
Kim Whanki’s “3-Ⅱ-66,” painted in 1966, will also be offered. It dates from the period when Kim was developing a visual language based on dots, lines and planes after settling in New York in 1963. Seoul Auction described the period as part of his transition toward the all-over dot paintings he later produced.
Other lots in the Seoul Auction sale include works by Yun Hyong-keun, Lee Ufan, Byun Shi-ji and Roy Lichtenstein.
K Auction will hold its August sale at its headquarters in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, at 4 p.m. on Aug. 26. The auction comprises 102 works with a combined estimated value of approximately 6.5 billion won.
Park Soo-keun’s 1950s painting “Tree and Woman” is among the principal lots. Formerly part of the collection of American collector Margaret Miller, the work is returning to the auction market after approximately 40 years. It is estimated at 400 million to 800 million won.
Three works by Lee Dae-won will be offered. His 1999 painting “Farm” is estimated at 55 million to 100 million won. “Pine Tree” carries an estimate of 30 million to 60 million won, while “Tree” is estimated at 14 million to 30 million won.
Chun Kyung-ja’s “Bird and Woman” is estimated at 290 million to 500 million won. The sale will also include works by international artists including Takashi Murakami, David Hockney, Ugo Rondinone and Alex Katz.
[Sayart = Jason Yim]
