Seoul Auction Resumes Hong Kong Auction After 2 Years... Kusama Pumpkin Listed with Highest Price of 18 Billion

Total 84 Works, Approximately 21.1 Billion KRW Submitted
'K-Art NOW' Section Showcasing Korean Artists' Works Overseas

Yayoi Kusama, 1929-, Japanese, , acrylic on canvas, 112.0×145.5cm. Photo by Seoul Auction

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Seoul Auction is resuming its 'Hong Kong Auction,' which was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after two and a half years.

Seoul Auction announced on the 7th that along with the resumption of the Hong Kong auction, an exhibition will be held for three days from the 25th to the 27th at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, and the auction will take place on the 29th at 4 PM at the Seoul Auction Gangnam Center.

Due to local COVID-19 policies in Hong Kong, the auction will be held in Seoul, somewhat diminishing the purpose of resuming the event. However, Seoul Auction explained that a bidding counter will be set up locally in Hong Kong, allowing participants to watch the live broadcast on the auction day and place bids via phone and online in real time. The Seoul exhibition will start on the 3rd and continue until the 16th. A total of 84 works worth approximately 21.1 billion KRW will be presented at the auction.

This auction draws attention with the inclusion of Kusama Yayoi's large-scale No. 80 'Green Pumpkin.' This work is the largest-sized pumpkin series piece by the artist offered by a domestic auction company.

Previously, in December 2021 at Christie's Hong Kong sale, a No. 20 green 'Pumpkin' sold for about 5 billion KRW, and at the same year's Hong Kong Evening Sale, a 130x130cm yellow 'Pumpkin' was sold for about 11.5 billion KRW. The estimated starting price for this piece is 8 billion KRW, with a top price reaching up to 18 billion KRW.

Additionally, the auction features works by international artists including modern art master Gerhard Richter, Yoshitomo Nara, and Tetsuya Ishida, who left about 180 works over a decade of activity, totaling works by 25 overseas artists.

Yeo Young-guk, 1916-2002, , oil on canvas, 105.8×105.8cm, 1975. Photo by Seoul Auction

In particular, this Hong Kong auction showcases a variety of works from representative Korean artists such as Lee Ufan, Ha Chonghyun, and Yun Hyong-keun, who demonstrated the artistic value of Korean art through the 'K-Art NOW' project, as well as paintings by contemporary Korean artists including Woo Gukwon, Kim Sunwoo, Ha Taeim, and Jung Youngjoo.

Moreover, the kinetic art piece 'Urbanus Male' by Choi Wooram, who is currently holding a large-scale solo exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, was installed on the first floor of the Seoul Auction Gangnam Center, increasing public interest.

The auction also includes a whiskey section, which has seen rapidly growing demand recently. The items include highly rare Macallan 62-year-old and 57-year-old limited editions, with only 400 bottles produced worldwide from the Macallan distillery, a 65-year-old limited to 450 bottles, as well as Japanese whiskies such as Yamazaki 18-year and Hibiki.

The auction items can be viewed free of charge at the Seoul Auction Gangnam Center until the 16th.

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