Park Soo-geun's 'Nongak' Starting Price 1.2 Billion Won... K-Auction June Auction Features 125 Lots

Auction Featuring 8 Major Modern Writers
On the 26th, Total of 10.4 Billion KRW Worth of Modern Figurative Works and More

During a turbulent period, works by eight figurative artists who led the modern Korean art scene?Park Su-geun, Do Sang-bong, Park Go-seok, Yoon Jung-sik, Kim In-seung, Choi Young-rim, Lim Jik-soon, and Kwon Ok-yeon?are gathered in one place.

Park Soo-keun 'Nongak'.
[Photo by K Auction]

K Auction announced that its June auction, held at 4 p.m. on the 26th at its headquarters in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, will feature 125 pieces of domestic and international modern and contemporary works, Korean paintings, and antiques, with a total estimated value of about 10.4 billion KRW.

This auction includes a section titled 'Artists Who Embroidered Modernity,' highlighting works by representative artists who emerged during the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War, contributing to the formation and development of Korea’s modern art scene. During this dynamic period of change, these artists contemplated how to incorporate Western art introduced through Japan into Korean art to establish uniquely Korean modern values. This auction offers a rare opportunity to see masterpieces by key artists who experimented and innovated until modern Korean art was firmly established.

Park Su-geun, who left an unparalleled legacy in Korean art history, has his 1962 work 'Nongak' (Farmers’ Music) listed with a starting price of 1.2 billion KRW. The painting depicts villagers enjoying music and dance together after finishing farm work and was also exhibited at Park Su-geun’s retrospective held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung Branch, in 2022.

Do Sang-bong, a first-generation Western-style painter and a representative figurative artist, believed that "painting should reflect life," capturing surrounding landscapes, figures, and still lifes in his works. His piece 'Still Life' is estimated at 30 million to 80 million KRW. This refined work features understated colors portraying white porcelain simply and elegantly. Do Sang-bong often painted chrysanthemums and lilacs in white porcelain jars, establishing the prototype of classical realism and Korean academicism.

(Photo left) Dosangbong, Still Life, oil on canvas 24.2×33.4cm, 1959, / Park Goseok, Chiaksan Landscape, oil on canvas 37.9×45.5cm, 1974, [Photo by K Auction]

Among the works of Park Go-seok, known as the ‘Mountain Man,’ is a painting of the Chiaksan Mountain landscape he frequently visited. This piece, notable for its vivid colors and brushwork, is estimated at 15 million to 30 million KRW.

Yoon Jung-sik, who pursued themes of twilight and birds with a yearning for the unknown, is characterized by bold outlines and thick colors. His 'Still Life with Fishbowl' is estimated between 10 million and 40 million KRW.

Kim In-seung, known as the ‘Rose Painter’ for frequently depicting roses and peonies, completed a unique aesthetic by adopting Impressionist techniques capturing changes in light and harmonious, stable compositions seen in classical painting. His 'Still Life' is estimated at 15 million to 30 million KRW.

Robert Indiana, LOVE (Red/Blue/Green) polychrome aluminum 45.7×22.9×45.7(h)cm (edition AP 3/4) 1966-1999. [Photo by K Auction]

In the overseas section, 'love' by Robert Indiana, a leading American pop artist of the 20th century, is listed with an estimated price of 300 million to 400 million KRW. The work is especially valuable as it was inspired by the logo of the Phillips 66 gas company where his father worked during the Great Depression, featuring a striking combination of red and green colors shining vividly against a blue sky background.

Ugo Rondinone’s 'f?nfzehnterjanuarzweitausendsieben (15, januar 2007)' is estimated at 200 million to 400 million KRW, and Anna Park’s 'She Never Calls' is expected to find a new owner at 80 million to 150 million KRW.

The auction exhibits can be viewed free of charge at the K Auction exhibition hall from the 15th to the 26th.

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