Seoul Auction to Hold 12 Billion KRW Auction on 17th Featuring Numerous Works by Lee Ufan

Lee Ufan's 2015 Work 'Dialogue' Draws Attention with Unique Colors... Park Soo-keun's 1963 Work 'Nosang'
'Baekja Cheonghwa Hwajom Ho' 40cm Large Size in Good Condition... Heyri 'Nonbat Art School' Auction

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The 156th auction of Seoul Auction, featuring a large number of works by the master of contemporary art Lee Ufan, will be held on the 17th at 4 PM at the 6th-floor auction hall of Seoul Auction Gangnam Center. This auction will present a total of 150 pieces, worth approximately 12 billion KRW, including modern and contemporary Korean art, Korean antiques, and overseas works.

Representative works of Lee Ufan that encompass his artistic world, such as 'From Point' and 'From Line,' as well as the 'Wind' series created in the 1980s and his recent works, will be exhibited. Lee Ufan began his painting series using points and lines in the 1970s, exploring philosophical concepts of creation and extinction. He then showcased various variations of painting through the 'Wind' series in the 1980s and the 'Correspondence' and 'Dialogue' series in the 1990s and 2000s.

Among the exhibited works, 'Dialogue' (2015) draws attention with its particularly rare color. The red dots, naturally gradated with restrained brush strokes, contrast with the white blank space. The color scheme is similar to the wine label Lee Ufan created in 2013. At that time, Lee Ufan was selected as the artist for the 2013 vintage label of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, which produces wine labels featuring works by world-renowned artists. The estimated auction price is between 450 million and 600 million KRW.

Lee Ufan 'Dialogue', oil on canvas, 145.5×114.3 cm, 2015, auction estimated price 450 million to 600 million KRW.
Photo by Seoul Auction

Lee Ufan also used materials such as iron plates, stones, soil, and wood in his works due to his interest in objects. These were conceptual works aimed at showing relationships with the external world and infinity. The installation work 'Relatum,' which focuses on relationships by rearranging unfamiliar objects, will also be exhibited.

Lee Ufan began the 'Relatum' series around 1968 and has continued it to the present. The exhibited piece shows the relationship formed by the arrangement of two unfamiliar objects, iron plates and stones, with an estimated auction price of 60 million to 150 million KRW. Additionally, 'With Winds' from 1987 and 1990 are also included, with estimated prices of 145 million to 200 million KRW and 520 million to 700 million KRW, respectively. The 1980 work 'From Point' and the 1981 work 'From Line' will also be exhibited.

'On the Road (No-sang),' created by Park Soo-keun two years before his death in 1963, will be exhibited. Park Soo-keun expressed the simple lives of common people with unique forms and textures. Using brushes and knives, he applied paint irregularly to create a textured surface, then scraped it off after drying and reapplied paint repeatedly. Through this technique, he created works imbued with lyrical emotions depicting figures, landscapes, and still lifes.

Park Soo-keun 'On the Road (Nosang)', oil on hardboard, 31.1×15 cm, 1963, auction estimated price 350 million to 700 million KRW
[Photo by Seoul Auction]

The auctioned work 'On the Road' features women painted on a vertically long canvas, characterized by divided sections. The figures maintain a balanced and stable posture, depicted using right-angled arms and straight contour lines. The restrained and simplified lines clearly demonstrate the main characteristics of Park Soo-keun's works. The estimated auction price is between 350 million and 700 million KRW.

A wide range of antiques will also be exhibited. These include works by Joseon Dynasty masters such as Pyoam Kang Sehwang, Gyeomjae Jeong Seon, Danwon Kim Hong-do, and Chusa Kim Jeong-hui, as well as pieces depicting children playing joyfully like 'Baekdongjado,' the 'Myo Beop Yeon Hwa Gyeong, Jebadaldapum No. 12' containing Buddha's sermons, and an 18th-century blue-and-white porcelain 'Baekja Cheonghwa Hwajomun Ho.'

Especially, the 'Baekja Cheonghwa Hwajomun Ho' excellently represents the characteristics of its era, has outstanding overall form, and is well preserved. Above all, its rare large size attracts attention. The 18th-century blue-and-white porcelain typically features horizontal lines on the rim and foot, with motifs such as the yeouidu pattern and longevity symbols. This piece also shows horizontal lines on the rim, yeouidu patterns, paulownia trees partly hidden by clouds, and a pair of birds, well representing the characteristics of 18th-century blue-and-white porcelain. The elegant and bold painting extends to the foot. The shoulder is full, narrowing at the waist, and slightly flaring at the foot, making it an outstandingly shaped piece. Among 18th-century white porcelain jars, pieces reaching 40 cm like this one are very rare, and well-preserved examples are even harder to find. The estimated auction price is between 600 million and 900 million KRW.

Baekja Cheonghwa Hwajomun Ho (White Porcelain Blue Painted Flower and Bird Pattern Jar), 33.3×39(h) cm, Joseon Dynasty, Estimated Auction Price 600 million to 900 million KRW
[Photo by Seoul Auction]

The 'Nonbat Art School' located in Heyri Art Village, Paju, will also be featured in this auction. Nonbat Art School is a new concept ecological cultural space planned with the philosophy that 'farming is art.' It utilizes the terrain characteristics of a sloped mountain area while minimizing environmental damage. Seven contemporary artists?Choi Jung-hwa, Park Ki-won, Kang Woon, Lee Mi-kyung, Lee Jin-kyung, Cheon Dae-kwang, and Cheon Jae-yong?participated in the architectural design and space composition. It was built over about a year starting in 2009. The school has operated rich educational programs covering art, ecology, and culture in a space harmonizing with nature. The architecture can be viewed via virtual reality (VR) videos on the Seoul Auction website without visiting Paju directly. The estimated auction price is between 3 billion and 4 billion KRW.

The preview exhibition for this auction is open until the 17th at Seoul Auction Gangnam Center. It is free and open to the public from 10 AM to 7 PM. VR viewing of the exhibition hall and architecture is also available through the website.

Heyri Nonbat Art School VR video capture, Beophung-ri, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, estimated auction price 3 to 4 billion KRW
[Photo by Seoul Auction]

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