Gallery Hyundai: 50 years bridging artists and collectors

A visitor to the "HYUNDAI 50" exhibition looks at Kim Whan-ki's "Universe 05-IV-71 #200," the most expensive Korean painting ever auctioned, at Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul. Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai

Kim Whan-ki's 13.2 billion-won 'Universe' on view

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Gallery Hyundai founder Park Myung-ja / Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai

Do Hyung-teh, president of Gallery Hyundai, said a good gallery liaises between artwork and collectors.

Do, son of the gallery's founder Park Myung-ja who is considered Korea's first modern gallerist, said, "What I learnt from my mother is that the relationship between gallery and artist, collectors and artwork is as important as the ties between people. The HYUNDAI 50 exhibition is the sum of Gallery Hyundai's relationships."

Gallery Hyundai celebrates its 50th anniversary with a two-part exhibition titled "HYUNDAI 50" and a few other projects aiming to take a leap forward in gaining a bigger international presence as well as promoting Korean art abroad.

Part I of the "HYUNDAI 50" exhibition runs from April 17 to May 31 and Part II from June 12 through July 19. The first part of the exhibition is currently available through online preview centers for Korean modern art, including works of household names Kim Whan-ki, Lee Jung-seob, Park Soo-keun and Chun Kyung-ja.

"All of the works on display are related to Gallery Hyundai, either featuring in numerous solo or group exhibitions, or sold through the gallery. Some of them have more stories behind them," Do said during a press preview of the exhibit. "Most of the works on display are from major customers of Gallery Hyundai, emphasizing the relationship between the gallery, the artist and the collector.”

Gallery Hyundai at its former Insa-dong location in 1970 when the gallery first opened / Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai

The exhibit begins with a series of photographs documenting the gallery's history, beginning with its first location at 30 Insadong-gil opened April 4, 1970. The photo collection is part of Korea's modern art history, featuring many noted figures.

Gallery Hyundai was the first commercial gallery in Korea specializing in traditional and contemporary art when only antique painting and book dealers were prevalent. The gallery's founder Park operated the gallery with commission fees for selling artworks and supported artists, which was a novel system in Korea back then.

“As a commercial gallery, we always consider commercial value when showcasing a piece of art, which is different from museums,” Do said.

The exhibition features 70 works from 40 artists, all related to Gallery Hyundai in some way.

Kim Whan-ki's "05-IV-71 #200 (Universe)," which was sold for a record 13.2 billion won at a Hong Kong auction in November 2019, is on public view for the first time since the historic auction. The most expensive Korean painting ever auctioned was previously exhibited at Gallery Hyundai in 2012 during the "Kim Whanki, Master of Korean Modern Art" show. This is Kim Whan-ki's only diptych and painted in his iconic "Whanki blue" Pointillist style.

Do said he has seen this masterpiece at the previous owner Matthew Kim's house when he was studying in New York. "I am filled with emotions to see this painting here again," Do said.

Lee Jung-seob's "Bull" is on view along with archive materials at the "HYUNDAI 50" exhibition. / Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai

Renowned artist Lee Jung-seob and Park Soo-keun were also rediscovered through a number of retrospectives at Gallery Hyundai.

Gallery Hyundai held three solo exhibition of Lee in 1972, 1999 and 2015. The 1999 retrospective attracted over 90,000 visitors, which was a record number for a gallery exhibition.

"Lee's iconic works such as Bull and Family with Chickens are hung in the exact same position as they were in the 1972 exhibition," Do explained.

Paik Nam-june's "Marco Polo," which consists of a Volkswagen beetle, a refrigerator, TV monitors and flowers, was the proud Golden Lion winner at the 1993 Venice Biennale.

Gallery Hyundai was Paik's representative in Korea and held many exhibitions, introducing the "Family of Robot" series and premiering “Un Pas de Loup de Seoul a Budapest” (A Wolf's Step: from Seoul to Budapest) a shamanistic exorcism performance.

Do said, "'Marco Polo' shows how Gallery Hyundai worked well with Paik. I sold this installation to AmorePacific Chairman Seo Kyung-bae, who gladly loaned it for this exhibition."

Paik Nam-june's "Marco Polo," winner of the Golden Lion at the 1993 Venice Biennale / Courtesy of Gallery Hyundai

The exhibit opened in April, but the artwork is only available for online preview as of now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The gallery will be open to visitors from May 12.

Part II of "HYUNDAI 50" will feature 40 artists whose works were introduced by Gallery Hyundai after the 1990s. The second part will include Korean and non-Korean artists alike, displaying the gallery's international expansion.

"We aim to promote Korean modern and contemporary art overseas more aggressively. This exhibition demonstrates our will to find a larger market abroad," Do said.

In addition to the two-part special exhibition, Gallery Hyundai opened a new homepage, combining its previous Korean and English versions, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary.

The gallery aims to develop the new website as an online platform to promote Korean art internationally. The stories section provides a variety of archive material and essays to provide insight into noted Korean artist including Kim Whan-ki and Lee Jung-seob as well as catalogues from previous exhibitions. The gallery plans to open its online viewing room next month.

Gallery Hyundai will also publish a book this June shedding light on Korea's modern art history and its relationship with commercial galleries.