Chairman Ha Young-gu of Blackstone Immersed in Kim Whanki's 'Universe'

Visit of Youngmoosoon, CEO of Citibank Korea, and S2A
Exhibition of 'Uju' with Korea's highest auction price for artwork
Viewing with Kim Woonggi, Chairman and winning bidder of 'Uju'

Hayounggu, Chairman of Blackstone, visited the S2A Gallery in Daechi-dong, Seoul, at 12 PM on the 21st along with Yum Yoomsoon, President of Citibank Korea, to view the works of painter Kim Whanki. Next to them, Kim Woonggi, Chairman of Global Sea Group, who won the bid for Kim Whanki's "Universe," which set the highest price ever in Korean art auctions, is passing by.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoonju Hwang] Financial magnate Ha Young-gu, chairman of Blackstone, also immersed himself in Kim Whanki's 'Universe'.

On the afternoon of the 21st at 12 PM, Ha Young-gu, chairman of Blackstone Korea, visited the S2A Gallery in Daechi-dong, Seoul, where the exhibition "Hwajungseoga (畵中抒歌): Whanki's Song, Becoming a Painting" was held. Chairman Ha was accompanied by Yoo Myung-soon, president of Citibank Korea, who is noted as the first female private bank president. At this event, Kim Woong-ki, chairman of Global Sea Group and well-known collector, personally appeared and guided Chairman Ha through the exhibition hall.

A representative from Global Sea Group stated, "The meeting between Chairman Kim Woong-ki and Chairman Ha Young-gu was not a pre-arranged official schedule but a personal appointment," adding, "We understand that the two met at the exhibition to appreciate Kim Whanki's 'Universe' artwork together."

This exhibition holds great significance from its planning stage. Kim Whanki's 'Universe', which set the highest price in Korean art auction history (approximately 13.2 billion KRW), is being publicly displayed for the first time since its purchase. The owner of the artwork, Kim Woong-ki, chairman of Global Sea Group, organized the exhibition to provide an opportunity for many people to appreciate the artwork together. Prior to the exhibition, Chairman Kim told reporters, "Expensive artworks should no longer remain as golden calves in wardrobes for just a few people." Twelve collectors who share Chairman Kim's intention of 'art sharing' also lent their works free of charge.

The exhibition covers Kim Whanki's entire career, from moon jars of the 1950s to full-surface pointillism of the 1970s. Kim Whanki's works are broadly divided into the Tokyo-Seoul period (1933-1955), Paris-Seoul period (1956-1962), and New York period (1963-1974). The exhibition features representative high-quality works from each period.

Chairman Ha viewed works such as 'Mountain', 'Return', 'Sound of Spring', '19-VIII-69 #108 II' (1969), 'Universe 05-IV-71 #200' (1971), and 'Untitled' (1971). The highlight of the exhibition was 'Universe', owned by Chairman Kim Woong-ki. Chairman Ha listened attentively to the docent's explanation and stayed for a long time.

'Universe' is the only large-scale work by Kim Whanki where two panels are placed side by side, and it is evaluated as a piece with perfect formal order and balance. It was completed during his peak New York period (1963-1974).

S2A paid special attention to creating an atmosphere that allows visitors to connect with the artwork 'Universe'. A partition wall was erected in a corner of the gallery to create a pitch-dark room like darkness, with lighting focused solely on the artwork. Upon entering, visitors are immersed in ecstasy. The motif, where Kim Whanki poured his soul into dotting points and circular dots radiate like light around the center point, evokes tens of thousands of twinkling stars in a weightless cosmic space. The dots filling the canvas and the diffusion of colors resonate with each other, creating a sublime atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the exhibition "Hwajungseoga (畵中抒歌): Whanki's Song, Becoming a Painting" runs until December 21. Admission is free, but tickets must be reserved through Interpark for entry.

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