K-Auction May Auction... Gift Artworks and Crafts Exhibited

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] K-Auction will hold a 'Charity + Premium Online Auction' from April 25 through May. The auction will close on May 6, and the preview, where auction items can be viewed in person, will begin on April 25 at the Sinsa-dong exhibition hall and on the K-Auction website, continuing until the auction closes. Preview admission is free, and anyone can visit the exhibition hall to view the works. However, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, visitors must make a reservation in advance by calling the main phone number, and entry to the exhibition hall is allowed only after a non-contact temperature check at the entrance.

In celebration of Family Month in May, the auction features artworks, crafts, jewelry, and various service vouchers that make great gifts for cherished family members, children, and acquaintances. Especially considering the diverse tastes of participants, a variety of traditional and contemporary crafts are offered. Various products and service vouchers for pets also attract attention. A portion of the proceeds from items for pets will be donated to the Korea Rescue Dog Association.

Yusan Min Kyung-gap 'Bugwichasu (富貴且壽)', ink and light color on paper, 49×134 cm, 1970 [Photo by K Auction]

Min Kyung-gap's work "Bugui Chasu (富貴且壽)" depicts peonies and symbolizes wealth and longevity. Peonies have long been symbols of wealth and honor due to their large, lush flowers, vibrant colors, and elegance. Traditionally, peony paintings were exchanged as gifts and hung in homes. Min Kyung-gap led the modernization of Korean painting in the early 1960s. As a young artist at the time, he broke traditional notions of Oriental painting while making bold formal and stylistic experiments. He pioneered a unique Korean painting style by assimilating the world of Oriental elegance into a new painting method. In the early 1970s, he returned to realistic landscape painting and began to focus seriously on nature as a subject. "Bugui Chasu," offered in this auction, is a 1970 work marking his return to realistic landscape painting and his serious engagement with nature. The starting bid is 2.5 million KRW.

Jeon Jun-yeop's work uses oil paint as the medium but evokes the atmosphere of Oriental painting. The whales swimming leisurely in the blue sky and the Korean scenic views seen through the traveler's eyes create a delicate and dreamy feeling. The playful elements like whales and the moon evoke rich fairy-tale-like imagination in viewers.

The 'Craft &' section was first introduced by K-Auction in the previous auction. Of the 29 craft items offered then, 25 were sold, achieving an 86% success rate. Particularly, competition was fierce for practical craft items such as tea cup sets, hojoekban (footed trays), soban (small tables), and tables.

In this 'Craft &' section, practical items such as writing desks, boxes, bowls, and tea sets are offered alongside various jewelry pieces like necklaces and brooches. Also included are traditional crafts such as writing desks used by Joseon-era scholars, mother-of-pearl trays made by the Joseon Art Production Studio, and modern reinterpretations of traditional crafts like bojagi pattern tables, lacquered lunch boxes, buncheong tea sets, and tea trays.

Junyeop Jeon 'In the Garden of Light - Whale Hunting', oil on canvas, 90.9×65.1 cm (Size 30)
Photo by K Auction

Seokyung Shin 'Bojagi Pattern Table No R', Walnut, Oxford, 600×400×260(h) cm
[Photo by K Auction]

The charity auction 'Brand &' section is expected to attract dog lovers' interest. Items and service vouchers related to pets include pet drying rooms, pet funeral services, cat towers, side tables, and coffee tables designed for use with pets.

The premium online auction features works such as a drawing book by Woo Hyang Park Rae-hyun, a female artist and partner of Kim Ki-chang Unbo, containing 85 pages and 91 images, as well as Cheon Kyung-ja's "Hotel in Western Samoa."

Woo Hyang Park Rae-hyun's drawing book consists of 85 pages with 91 images. It includes iconography from ancient Inca and Maya civilizations, crafts, and research materials on traditional patterns of ancient cultures, detailing characteristics, colors, names, dates, and materials of objects. Nine images from the drawing book were also included in the 1997 Korean Artist Series Park Rae-hyun published by the Samsung Cultural Foundation. The estimated price is 25 to 35 million KRW, and the auction starts at 18 million KRW. Cheon Kyung-ja's "Hotel in Western Samoa" beautifully captures exotic subjects and landscapes simultaneously.

Bidding is available only to members who have registered online on the K-Auction website and completed identity verification. Bids can be placed online 24 hours a day during the preview period. The auction closes on May 6, with lots closing in groups of 10 every 5 minutes starting at 4 p.m.

Uhyang Park Raehyun Drawing Book, pen and colored pencil on paper
Photo by K Auction

Cheon Kyung-ja 'Hotel in Western Samoa'
[Photo by K Auction]

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.