K-Auction to Offer 13.5 Billion KRW Worth of Lots in June Auction, Including Rare Works by First-Generation Female Artist Baek Nam-soon

Park Seo-bo's 'Genetic Disorder No. 17-70'. (Photo by K Auction)

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] K Auction announced on the 10th that it will hold an auction at its headquarters in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 23rd. A total of 154 works worth approximately 13.5 billion KRW will be exhibited.

The highest-priced work in this auction is Kim Whanki's New York period pointillism piece '4-XI-69 #132', with an estimated price of 1.5 to 1.8 billion KRW. Kim Whanki's New York period cross composition work 'Untitled' will be exhibited at 700 million to 900 million KRW.

Five works by Jung Sanghwa, who is currently holding a retrospective at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul, will be exhibited. These include the 1996 work 'Untitled 96-5-14', a size 200 piece filled with blue on the canvas (estimated price 1.2 to 1.5 billion KRW), and 'Untitled 87-12-B' from 1987, notable for its subtle gradation of white and blue (estimated price 500 million to 650 million KRW).

Five works by Korean Dansaekhwa master Park Seo-bo will be auctioned. The estimated prices for the late color technique works 'Myobeop No. 130509' and 'Myobeop No. 090418' are 550 million to 800 million KRW and 500 million to 700 million KRW, respectively. Particularly noteworthy is Park Seo-bo's work from his 'Yujeonjil' period, 'Yujeonjil No. 17-70', which is estimated at 45 million to 60 million KRW.

Baek Nam-soon's 'A Grain of Wheat' (1983). (Photo by K Auction)

This auction also features rare works seldom seen. Among them is 'Han Al-ui Milal' (A Grain of Wheat), a 1983 work by Baek Nam-soon, a first-generation Korean female painter known as the mentor of Lee Jung-seop. This piece was also exhibited in the 1992 National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art 'Senior Artists Painting Exhibition'. The estimated price is 8 million to 50 million KRW.

Eight works by the late Kim Chang-yeul, famous for his water drop paintings, spanning from the 1970s to the 2000s, will be exhibited. Yoon Hyung-geun's 'Burnt Umber & Ultramarine Blue N°222' is estimated at 200 million to 320 million KRW, Yoo Young-guk's 'Work' at 600 million to 1 billion KRW, and Lee Dae-won's 'Farm' at 120 million to 160 million KRW.

In the overseas section, Robert Indiana's 'HOPE (White/Blue/Red)' will be auctioned at 230 million to 350 million KRW, and 'Art' at 70 million to 150 million KRW. Other works include Joan Mir?'s 'Oiseaux' (90 million to 180 million KRW), Georg Baselitz's 'Untitled' (50 million to 90 million KRW), Sol LeWitt's 'Brushstrokes in all Directions' (50 million to 80 million KRW), and Yoshitomo Nara's 'Thank You For' (48 million to 100 million KRW).

The auction exhibits can be viewed at the K Auction exhibition hall from the 12th until the auction day on the 23rd. Preview viewing is free, but due to COVID-19 prevention measures, visitors must make a reservation by phone before visiting. Participation in the auction is possible after registering as a K Auction member and can be done through written bids, on-site, phone, or online live bidding.

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