Park Soo-keun painting to be auctioned in U.S.

A painting by prominent Korean artist Park Soo-keun will be put up for auction at the Important Two Day Auction by John McInnis Auctioneers in Ogunquit, Maine, on July 16 and 17.

The painting “A Seated Woman,” with Park’s name signed in Hangeul and dated 1956 on the back, retains the original frame and paper label.

The original owner was Alva Gimbel, a supporter of Dr. Howard Rusk who often traveled to Korea during the Korean War for medical missions between 1953 and 1967.

“A Seated Woman” by Park Soo-keun John McInnis Auctioneers

Known as the father of rehabilitation medicine, Rusk was elected president of the American Korean Foundation in 1954 and founded the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at New York University Medical Center, which was renamed the Howard H. Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in 1984. He was supported by several prominent individuals including Gimbel in his humanitarian efforts.

Gimbel assisted Rusk on one of his trips to Seoul where she acquired “A Seated Woman.” The painting has been kept with a family member and has never been out of the family since it was acquired in the 1950s.

The painting is in its original, untouched condition and it is estimated it will sell for between $200,000 and $300,000.

The auction house had sold another of Park’s paintings, of a seated woman contemplating a bowl, in October 2008. The 1956 painting was sold for $460,000.

Next week’s auction will also feature other items of fine art, a large collection of Asian and Japanese antiquities, jewelry and furniture.

For more information, visit www.mcinnisauctions.com


By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldm.com)

이중섭 황소, 기록경신 실패

‘A Bull’ fails to set new auction record

 

The air was tense at Seoul Auction in Pyeongchang-dong, Seoul, on Tuesday evening. The space was unusually packed with some 300 bidders and press, whose eyes were all fixed at the display board waiting for lot 24, “A Bull” by Lee Joong-seob.

The day’s 117th Seoul Auction had been talked up for several weeks as the auction house had boasted the possibility that Lee’s oil painting may set a new record in Korean auction history, exceeding the price of Park Soo Keun’s “A Wash Place,” which had set the highest price record in the nation at 4.52 billion won in May 2007.

“Lee Joong-seob’s ‘A Bull’ will set a record at the auction as it is a monumental piece in Korean modern art history,” Lee Hak-jun, president of Seoul Auction, said last month.

Cameras started to flash half way into the auction as the much-talked-about piece appeared on the screen. The bid started at 3.4 billion won. The estimated price for the painting was between 3.5 billion won and 4.5 billion won.

Despite expectations, however, the fast-paced auction seemed to slow a little at the painting’s turn. Few bidders raised their hands and the competition died out sooner than expected, only raising the price six times, each by 20 million won.

The auctioneer banged the gavel and the painting was sold for 3.56 billion won, a price not even close to that fetched by “A Wash Place,” but rather closer to the lower end of its estimated price. It was sold to a private museum through a telephone bid.

“The price didn’t reach expectations due to the overall market sentiment. Park’s ‘A Wash Place’ was sold in May 2007, when the Korean art market was at the peak. The domestic market used to recover when the foreign market recovered, but they seem to have decoupled lately. We were hoping that the domestic market will recover its own momentum, but it is difficult work,” said Choi Youn-seok, head of fine art department at Seoul Auction.

“The external factors surrounding the art market, like the controversy over imposing a tax on artworks, seems to be another cause. About five to six people had showed interest in buying the piece before the auction but not all participated in the actual bidding.”

The government plans to impose a 20 percent transfer tax on artworks that cost more than 60 million won starting January 2011. Artworks by Korean artists who are still alive are exempted. Many art insiders are arguing for the withdrawal or postponement of the tax, asserting that it is not efficient and that it will further pull down the already depressed art market.

Lee’s painting still made it to second place in auction history, pushing Kim Whan-ki’s “Flower and Jar,” which was sold for 3.05 billion won in May 2007, to the third spot. About 70 percent of the works were successfully bid at this auction, marking total sales of some 9.24 billion won.

Lee Joong-seop’s “A Bull” was sold for 3.56 billion won at Seoul Auction on Tuesday. Chung Hee-cho/The Korea Herald

“This auction sold a piece for more than 3 billion won for the first time since the art market began declining following the peak in 2007. Though the work did not set a new record for the highest price in Korea, I am sure that high quality art like this will continue to be introduced into the market,” said Lee Hak-jun.

“A Bull,” 35.3 cm long and 51.3 cm wide, was last seen in public at an exhibition held by Gallery Hyundai in 1972. It was sent to the auction by an individual collector who exchanged the painting with three of Lee’s other paintings that he had bought in Midopa Gallery in 1955, at the artist’s request.

By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldm.com)

 

갤러리 시리즈 2_ 갤러리 현대 도형태 대표

‘A good dealer doesn’t collect artworks for himself’

 

Do Hyung-teh, president of Gallery Hyundai, most likely feels a lot of weight on his shoulders.

As the second son of Park Myung-ja, Gallery Hyundai’s founder, Do took the place as president of one of the nation’s most influential art galleries five years ago.

Opened in 1970, Gallery Hyundai is the pioneer of commercial galleries in Korea and has introduced numerous artists to the public. It not only turned the artists into big stars but led Korea’s art gallery boom in the late 1970s, proving that art exhibitions could be major events that gather large crowds. The gallery currently has three exhibition spaces in Seoul, two in Sagan-dong, and one in Sinsa-dong.

Art insiders say it was Park Myung-ja, the gallery’s founder and former president, who made all this possible. Do agreed, pointing out her gifted esthetic sense and credibility.

“Her credibility, especially, is something I could never catch up with. She is like that in her every day life, not just when doing business. I remember seeing her close relationships with the vendors at the market,” said Do.

Park’s credibility and business acumen once again stood out recently when she helped in organizing the gallery’s current exhibition on Park Soo-keun to commemorate the 45th anniversary of his death. It was Park who called every single collector of the late artist’s paintings and borrowed the works.

Thanks to her, the exhibition, which runs through May 30 at one of the gallery’s Sagan-dong spaces, showcases 45 of Park’s paintings, his photos and some of his hand-written letters.

Do still treasures his mother’s advice.

“When she says no, it means no. Although I do rebel now when I have logical reasons,” said Do, chuckling.

Opposite to what many would assume, Do had little interest in art in his youth, even though he was always surrounded by artworks and artists.

Instead, he was more of a trust-fund brat who applied for a leave of absence from Korea’s Foreign Language University and declared he was going to do nothing until his 30th birthday and simply fled to New York.

Without much thought, he majored in art at New York University and happened to fall in love with it. After that, he furthered his studies in Art History at the Pratt Art Institute based on his own willingness to learn.

The first opportunity to showoff the talent needed for what he does now came to him in 1998 at the Basel Art Fair.

Gallery Hyundai had participated in the fair since 1996 but Park Myung-ja had announced they could not that year, due to the soaring exchange rate.

Do, 30 at the time, came forward and tried everything he could, from writing letters to the fair to contacting artists to scraping up his own money to pay for the booth and the transportation.

“I knew nothing about art fairs or running galleries at that time. Some of the experienced buyers at the fair even taught me how to write invoices when they came by our booth. I found everything so amusing,” Do said.

Park, as usual, did not give him many compliments after the fair, but Do had definitely proved himself to be useful, as Gallery Hyundai had marked some actual sales there for the first time.

Since then, he moved into the gallery’s management step by step.

He picked up the essentials from his mother, like the basic rule of not coveting artworks for himself.

“I don’t collect works. We are, in a way, retailers. We need to transmit good works to good collectors. If I keep the works for myself thinking this will be worth money later on, I am a collector not a dealer. There are some dealer/collectors, but I think art dealers should not collect works for themselves,” said Do.

In areas that his mother steered clear from, Do is making some efforts independently.

After receiving criticism that Gallery Hyundai focuses too much on sales and only offered chances to established artists, Do opened the gallery Do Art in 2002, which incubates and introduces emerging artists. He also opened another gallery called 16 Bungee this year under the same goal.

This year, which is the 40th anniversary of Gallery Hyundai, will be a turning point for the gallery, said Do. His biggest goal is to introduce more Korean artists to the world. That is why he suggested publishing Park Soo-keun’s catalogue in English.

“I was embarrassed that I had nothing to bring when I met dealers and buyers overseas. Park Soo-keun is the most beloved painter in Korea. I thought it was time that we made something to better introduce him to the world,” said Do.

“We will be doing a lot of works this year, from exhibitions to art fairs, using our international networks. I can’t say what exactly right now but you will be hearing some good news, soon,” he added.

For more information on the Park Soo-keun retrospective exhibition or on Gallery Hyundai, call (02) 2287-3500 or visit www.galleryhyundai.com.

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)

 

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

[한국근대미술걸작전] A modern Korean art bonanza

2009.1.5

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The largest-ever exhibition of Korean modern art is running at the National Museum of Art, Deoksugung in Jeong-dong, Seoul.

"The Modern Korea Rediscovered" showcases 232 paintings and sculptures of 105 renowned Korean artists from the 1910s to 1960s, such as Park Soo-keun, Lee Jung-sub and Chun Kyung-ja.

Amid the flood of foreign art exhibitions, this one delivers messages only Korean artists can express.

"The pieces show what the Korean modern people dreamt of while suffering during a turbulent era," said exhibition curator Park Young-ran at a press conference last month.

"Looking over the artwork, visitors will be able to see that the efforts and hopes of those people was what brought the affluence today."

Taking place in both buildings, it is the museum's biggest exhibition ever. It starts at the west wing and spreads to the east wing.

"Modern Korea" is divided into five parts. The first part, named "Modern People," observes the appearances of people during the period of modernization and colonization.

Artist Lee Kwae-dae appears in his "Self-portrait in a Korean Coat" dressed in traditional Korean hanbok. But he is wearing a Western-style felt hat. Through this juxtaposition, the artist expressed himself as a pioneering intellectual who absorbs Western culture but also reinforces his own.

Streets, homes and lifestyles of people in the early 20th century are depicted on canvases in "Modern People" and "Modern Landscape," the second and third divisions.

A modern woman in hanbok sits reading a book in Chang Woo-soung's "Atelier," an indication of a society slowly opening up to women. Only a few decades before the time of the painting, a woman reading in public was not a welcome sight, not to mention that most women were illiterate. In Chang's painting, however, the husband doesn't seem to care. He simply continues to smoke a pipe.

Moving to the next building, the exhibition invites visitors deeper into the minds of the people of those times.

The fourth division is named "Modern Dream." Because many Koreans then couldn't fully realize their dreams due to political oppression brought on by Japan's invasion, their dreams seem more special.

Lee Jung-sub had to send his wife and children away to Japan for a while because he couldn't afford to support them in Korea. Left alone in Busan and missing his family terribly, Lee painted happy thoughts of his family together on tin foil. "Children, Fish and Crab" is one of them.

Chun Kyung-ja expressed her hopes in life in "A Man Holding Dried Yellow Corvina." Rainbows and clouds of colorful paint invoke a feeling of fantasy on the canvas.

Obviously, it was not an easy job to collect and display these old and precious works of art. Many of them were seriously damaged. In the last part of the exhibition, "Restoration of the Modern," viewers can see how the frail art pieces were preserved.

Enjoy the free exhibition, watch some modern Korean movies with a sip of coffee in the old-style cafe inside the museum, and take a walk around Deoksugung. This full-course cultural experience is worth a trip.

The current exhibition runs through March 22 at National Museum of Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, in central Seoul, but is closed on Mondays. Admission for the exhibition is free but ticket to enter Deoksugung is 1,000 won. For more information, call (02) 757-1800 or visit www.koreamodern.com

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)