한국의 첫 상업화랑은?

Gallery retraces 40 years of Korean art 

 

There was time when the idea of selling art came as a shock to most people.

"I was in my senior year in college in 1970 when Gallery Hyundai opened in Insa-dong. I saw a small article introducing the brand new business under the headline, 'We sell paintings.' The story would make you laugh now, but back then it was so interesting. It produced a similar sensation as the article that said 'A pizza place opened in Itaewon' in the 1980s," wrote Yoo Hong-jun, former director of the Cultural Heritage Administration and currently a professor at Myongji University, in a recent review.

Gallery Hyundai, which presented a delightful surprise to many art lovers in Korea 40 years ago, is currently holding the exhibition "2010 In the Midst of the Korean Contemporary Art" to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Though it is held by a single gallery, the exhibition pretty thoroughly covers Korean art history of nearly half a century.

All of Gallery Hyundai's three buildings - two in Sagan-dong and one in Sinsa-dong - are packed with 170 masterpieces by 68 renowned Korean artists like Park Soo-keun, Lee Joong-seop, Chun Kyung-ja and Lee Ung-no.

This big scale exhibition was possible because the artists have all participated in some exhibitions held by Gallery Hyundai over the decades and gained fame through them.

Being one of Korea's first commercial galleries, Gallery Hyundai focused on introducing veteran artists from the start.

Starting with the Park Soo-keun exhibition in 1970, Gallery Hyundai continuously held special solo exhibitions featuring big artists, like Lee Joong-seop in 1972 and Chun Kyung-ja in 1973.

These three exhibitions not only turned the artists into big stars but proved that art exhibitions could be major events that gather large crowds.

Though solo exhibitions were a remarkable improvement at a time when there were hardly any opportunities for artists to show their works to the public, critics said the gallery focused too much on sales and only offered chances to established artists. It was only recently that it opened another gallery named Do Art, which aims to introduce young artists.

Despite such criticism, it is hard to deny that Gallery Hyundai led the art gallery boom in Korea. Soon after Gallery Hyundai moved to its current place in Sagan-dong in 1975, different galleries started to emerge in Insa-dong in 1976.

By 1978, more than 30 galleries were hosting shows and the Galleries Association of Korea was soon established.

Besides, Gallery Hyundai "has always had the insight and ceaselessly endeavored to never miss out on a single artist who would be recorded in history," as artist Kim Tschang-yeul commented. In that case, this exhibition is something art fans would definitely not want to miss.

The exhibition is overflowing with representative works of Korean masters, making it hard to pick out the highlights.

In Sagan-dong, oriental paintings by Kim Ki-chang, Chun Kyung-ja, Park Saeng-kwang and more will be showcased in the main building and occidental paintings by Chang Ucchin, Kim Chong-hak, Kim Whan-ki and more will be shown in the new building. Abstract paintings and installation works by Kim Tschang-yeul, Park Seo-bo, Paik Nam-june and more can be found at the Gangnam Space.

The exhibition runs through Feb. 10 at Gallery Hyundai in Sagan-dong, central Seoul and Gallery Hyundai Gangnam Space in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. For more information, call (02) 2287-3500 for the Sagan-dong Gallery, (02) 519-0800 for the Sinsa-dong Gallery or visit www.galleryhyundai.com

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young