"Buying fakes helps develop an eye to distinguish the real ones"

Gana Cultural Foundation, Exhibition of Folk Artifact Appraisal Expert Yang Eui-suk's Collection
Commemorating the Publication of the Essay 'Stories of Genuine Antique Masterpieces'
Over 40 Items Including Jeju Bandaji and Yeomjuham Displayed

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “Only after buying fakes (antique art forgeries) can one develop the discernment to recognize the genuine. Buying fakes to understand the real is a risky adventure I cannot recommend, but my own past experiences with this have helped me later on.”

Yang Eui-sook, familiar as an appraiser on KBS's 'TV Show Genuine Articles,' has published her memoir 'Stories of Genuine Antique Art Masterpieces' and held a private collection exhibition.
[Photo by Kim Hee-yoon]

Yang Eesook, CEO of Yenar and a familiar appraiser on KBS1's 'TV Show Genuine Articles,' advises that the best way to purchase quality antique art is to observe for a long time and study on your own.

“Fakes often look especially beautiful at first glance. When a buyer wants to purchase a 1 million won piece for 500,000 won, they easily fall into the trap of fakes,” she said. “When I find a piece I have my eye on, I visit and observe it for about three days. What I saw yesterday looks different today, and I study the piece. Through this process, the true value of a masterpiece is revealed. There is no such thing as cheap and good,” she emphasized.

An exhibition showcasing the antique art collection Yang has carefully gathered one by one will be held from the 13th at the Gana Art Center in Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Describing good antique art as “objects that contain my story,” she first introduced a Jeju albandari cabinet, saying, “Forty-five years ago, after giving birth to my daughter and during my postpartum care, my mother personally brought this furniture from her hometown Jeju.” Yang said she placed the albandari by her child’s bedside to store baby clothes and diapers, and even now she can fully feel the experiences of raising her first child and her mother’s love.

Jeju Albandaji, Joseon 19th century, iron lock on wood, 53.5×28.5×36(h)cm
[Photo provided by Gana Cultural Foundation]

The prayer bead box, which she considers her most treasured possession, was purchased by selling all the gold she had at the time after a chance encounter. “This box, made in a donut shape to store prayer beads, is a late Goryeo to early Joseon period piece. It was lacquered, with hinges and locks attached by nails hidden beneath the lacquer so the nail marks are invisible,” she explained.

The traditional wooden grain storage box ‘Neomaldeuri Dwijoo’ that Yang first purchased was used in the Joseon Dynasty to store beans, red beans, and other grains, and was crafted for precise measurement. She used it at home to store rice, and said that because the wood regulated humidity, no insects ever appeared. About the dwijoo, she added, “At that time, every household bought rice from traveling merchants, but when I poured the rice into the dwijoo, it was a handspan short at the top. I called the merchant back and had him fill the shortage, preventing fraud with accurate measurement.”

Regarding the three-tiered chest that traveled all the way to the U.S. and back to Korea, she said it felt like “a grown son returning home.” The yakgwa tray from a certain Andong family, which she appraised herself on Genuine Articles, reconnected with her years later. The tobacco box she purchased from Robert Moore, an American collector specializing in Korean antique art, is a famous “Sungsungi” half-door from the Bakcheon region of Pyeongan Province, intricately pierced with mother-of-pearl inlay. It reminded her that half of Korean antique art treasures are in the North.

Yeomjuham, Late Goryeo and Early Joseon Dynasty, Euonymus, 19×19.5×5(h)cm
[Photo provided by Gana Cultural Foundation]

Confessing that “the thrill when a humble artifact becomes mine by chance cannot be exchanged for anything,” she expressed her hope that “when objects used by ancestors bear my hand’s touch and the energy of those objects is passed down to descendants, I hope they cherish and love these antique art pieces.”

The exhibition, running until the 29th, was planned to commemorate the publication of Yang’s memoir, Stories of Genuine Antique Masterpieces (Kkachigulbang). In the book, published as part of the Gana Cultural Foundation’s 'Hidden Masters of the Cultural Neighborhood' series, Yang deeply unfolds her life story through various antique art pieces such as half-doors, moon jars, wooden pillows, and painted lacquerware.

Kim Hyungkuk, director of the Gana Art and Cultural Foundation, said, “This exhibition captures Yang’s lifelong journey of learning and her quest for beauty. We expect it to showcase the essence of Korean culture through a diverse collection.”

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