Kim Whan-ki's painting breaks price record
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korean artist Kim Whan-ki’s 1970 painting “Untitled,” which was sold for a record 4.86 billion won at the Seoul Auction held in Hong Kong, Monday. / Courtesy of Seoul Auction
The sale of a painting by abstract artist Kim Whan-ki (1913-1974) broke the record for the highest price paid for a Korean artwork at an auction, Monday.
The painting, “Untitled” (1970), fetched 4.86 billion won ($4.2 million) during Seoul Auction's Hong Kong event held at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel in Hong Kong.
The auction organizer said international collectors competed for the piece and an Asian collector won the work for HK$ 33 million.
“Untitled” is similar to another of Kim's major works “Where, in What Form, Shall We Meet Again?” in its use of technique and the size and pattern of dots. It was produced around the same time.
The previous record for a Korean painting was Kim’s “19-Ⅶ-71 #209” (1971), which was sold for 4.7 billion won at the same event last October.
Kim's “Les Oiseaux Volants (Flying Birds)” (1957) was also sold for 864 million won, exceeding the estimated price by a large margin.
Born in Sinan, South Jeolla Province, Kim led the modern abstract art movement in Korea during the mid-20th century and achieved Asian abstractionism based on a communion with nature.
He moved to New York in the early 1960s and stayed there until his death in 1974.
The Hong Kong auction reflected a great deal of interest in “Dansaekhwa,” or Korean monochrome paintings.
Park Seo-bo’s paintings enjoyed popularity, with his “Ecriture No.4-78” fetching 968 million won, while Yun Hyongkeun's “Umber 7-IIV-75” was sold for 63 million won.
The event grossed 14 billion won in total sales of 45 pieces out of 59 items up for grabs. The auction company will hold another Hong Kong event on May 29.