Petroleum Money Fills Up Venezuelas Museums

By Kim Se-jeong

Staff Reporter

What would you do, if you had so much money that you wouldn't know where to spend it?

The government of Venezuela, an oil-rich country, uses it to purchase sculptures and artworks by prominent painters from around the world.

According to Daniel Briceno, first secretary at the Venezuelan Embassy in Seoul, the government operates the "Foundation of Museum of Venezuela," to which seven prominent Venezuelan art museums belong. One of the tasks for the foundation is to purchase original works of paintings.

That's why Venezuela is home to paintings by Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henry Mattise.

The Venezuelan government also supports promoting its own art by sponsoring touring exhibitions, one of which came to Korea to open last week.

The "Young Venezuelan Artists Exhibition" opened last Wednesday at Bandi Trazos in Seoul. It was in connection with the South American country's bicentennial anniversary of independence from Spain.

President Jinog Ana of Bandi Trazos, who has been engaged in coordinating Latin art exhibitions in Korea, said Venezuela's national artistic interest is little known in Korea and Asia.

She also said the drive doesn't only exist at the national level.

Recalling a visit to one of her Venezuelan clients, she said, among wealthy individuals, collecting art pieces is commonplace, and "the quality is surprisingly good."

"I was so surprised by his (the client's) collection," she told The Korea Times at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

The majority of works at last year's Latin American art exhibition, with 16 South American and Caribbean diplomatic missions in Korea attending, came from Venezuela.

Much like in North Korea where the film industry has survived thanks to Kim Jong-il's personal interest, there's been speculation that the Venezuelan government's interest has something to do with its long-standing leader Hugo Chavez.

"We don't know (whether Chavez personally loves paintings or not)," Silay Mendoza, the curator of the exhibition, said, yet praised the government's bottomless support for art promotion.

The exhibition, although relatively small, was fully financed by the government, she said proudly, displaying 19 paintings and sculptural works by 14 start-up artists.

Alongside their primary professions, according to the curator, each artist has developed their artistic talents as a secondary profession, which is again attributed to the government's support for art education.

One painting depicting a man and dog had petroleum rubbed on the canvas.

Crude oil takes up a special place in people's mind in Venezuela.

"It (petroleum) means a lot," Deputy Chief of Mission Wolfgang Gonzalez said.

Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest exporter of crude oil. In terms of reserves, it ranks on top.

The country's economy is dominantly relying on its export and the petroleum sector accounts for one third of its GDP. Venezuela also produces agricultural goods, such as bananas and coffee, but only for domestic consumption.

Crude oil was found by the indigenous people of Venezuela, even before the Spanish arrived. Yet, the first drilling didn't take place until the early 1910s.

The exhibition will continue until May 2. For more information about the exhibition, visit www.banditrazos.co.kr