Year-end auction features Chun Kyung-ja, Yayoi Kusama

Chun Kyung-ja's "Portrait of a Woman" (1977) will be up for auction at Seoul Auction Gangnam Center on Dec. 15. Courtesy of Seoul Auction

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The last art auction of the year is coming, packed with masterpieces of Korean modern artists and top international artists.

Seoul Auction will hold its 158th auction at its Gangnam Center on Dec. 15.

Four works by the late Chun Kyung-ja (1924-2015) are up for auction. Her works featuring female figures are known for their bold portrayals and use of vivid colors.

"Portrait of a Woman" (1977), which portrays a woman with flowers on her head and butterflies, showcases Chun's signature style and is expected to fetch around 500 million won to 800 million won ($447,500-$715,990).

"The year 1977 was when Chun produced her major works including The 22nd Page of My Sorrowful Legend and Mother Theresa. All three of them feature a front image of a woman with golden eyes with hair adornments and flowers," the auction house said in a statement. "Chun's female figure is not just a portrait but an integration of her experiences and dreams."

A wide range of works by renowned Dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome painting) artist Lee U-fan will be auctioned as well. From January to September, a total of 10.7 billion won worth of Lee's art was sold through auction, topping the amount of successful bids.

Among the eight pieces are "From Line" (1978), "With Winds" (1991) and "Correspondence" (1994), showcasing Lee's various styles.

The most notable work is "Dialogue" (2016). The 218-by-291 centimeter painting features an orange dot in the center of the canvas and the repetitive brushstrokes that created the gradient dot represents the spirituality of Lee's works.

Lee Jung-seob's "Children, Bird and Fish" (1954-55) is one of the artist's latter works, in which he portrayed affection towards his family in Japan despite desperate circumstances.

The "Works on Paper" section features Korean modern and contemporary artists' works on paper, using materials such as pencil, ink and conte, as well as woodprints.

Park Soo-keun's "Girl with Puppy" and Kim Whan-ki's "Untitled" provide a rare glimpse into modern Korean masters using paper as a medium.

The winter auction sheds light on Park Saeng-kwang (1904-1985).

Park incorporated folk, Buddhist and shamanistic elements in his vibrantly colored paintings. His works such as "Nirvana," "Shamanism" and "Landscape of Mt. Geumgang" show how he reinterpreted traditional Korean paintings.

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's "Pumpkin" (2005) will be up for auction at Seoul Auction Gangnam Center on Dec. 15. Courtesy of Seoul Auction

In terms of the international offerings, Japanese artists are in the headlines.

Three works of Yayoi Kusama, widely known for her polka-dot works, are brought under the gavel. Her 2005 painting "Pumpkin" is expected to surpass 200 million won, which is the highest for this auction.

Kusama is the world's top-selling living female artist and the work is in her iconic black-spotted yellow pumpkin painting, raising expectations for the upcoming auction.

MADSAKI's "Mirror" and Rokkaku Ayako's "Untitled" are also up for auction.