Rare works by masters of modern and contemporary Korean art will be featured in upcoming auctions this month. Notable pieces include Park Soo-keun's work, which is being auctioned for the first time in 40 years, Kim Chang-yeol's 'Water Drop,' which is making its domestic debut after being exhibited at the FIAC art fair in Paris 45 years ago, and a large-scale work by Kim Whanki from his New York period.
Seoul Auction and K Auction will hold their respective art auctions on August 25 and 26 in Gangnam, Seoul. Seoul Auction will present 117 lots valued at approximately 9.1466 billion won, while K Auction will feature 102 pieces estimated at around 6.5 billion won, bringing the total to over 200 pieces worth more than 15 billion won across the two days.
One of the standout pieces is Park Soo-keun's 'Tree and Woman' (estimated at 400 million to 800 million won), which showcases his signature themes of aged trees and women. This piece was part of the collection of Margaret Miller, a key patron of Park in the 1960s. It has been exhibited in several notable shows, including the 'Korean Impression Exhibition' at the Korean Art Museum in 1983 and the '20th Anniversary Exhibition of Park Soo-keun' at the Hyundai Gallery in 1985.
Seoul Auction will also present Kim Chang-yeol's large work 'Water Drop' (estimated at 600 million to 1.2 billion won), which was first shown at the Stamply Gallery booth during the FIAC at the Grand Palais in Paris in 1981. This piece is characterized by its unique composition featuring golden droplets and a central rectangular window. Additionally, Kim Whanki's 1966 work '3-Ⅱ-66' (150 cm) will be auctioned, marking a significant transition in his style from concrete forms to full abstraction during his New York period.
Early works from these masters are also garnering attention. Seoul Auction will feature Yoon Hyung-keun's 1968 piece 'Untitled,' known for its rich texture and blue hues, as well as Lee Ufan's four-panel folding screen 'Untitled' (1960), created shortly after his arrival in Japan in 1956. K Auction will showcase Yoon Hyung-keun's 'Umber-Blue' and Lee Ufan's 'With the Wind,' allowing for comparisons with their later representative series that established their unique styles.
Additionally, Lee Dae-won's works 'Farm,' 'Pine Tree,' and 'Tree,' which have gained attention from the retrospective at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, will be available alongside pieces by other modern masters such as Lee Jung-seob and Chun Kyung-ja.
The auctions will take place at Seoul Auction's Gangnam Center at 4 PM on August 25 and at K Auction's headquarters in Sinsa-dong at 4 PM on August 26.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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