Picasso Still Life Offered at Domestic Auction... "Estimated Price 2.5 to 3 Billion Won"

A Total of 171 Works Including Picasso and Damien Hirst, Valued at Approximately 17.1 Billion KRW, Submitted

Pablo Picasso 'Nature Morte, Fruits et Pot'. Photo by Seoul Auction

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] A still life painting by Pablo Picasso will be featured in a domestic auction held this month.

Seoul Auction announced on the 14th that Pablo Picasso's 'Nature Morte, Fruits et Pot' will be exhibited at the major auction held at the Gangnam Center at 3 PM on the 26th.

This work depicts fruit and a flower vase, with an estimated value of 2.5 to 3 billion KRW.

Experts interpret that the vibrant and lively colors of the piece were influenced by Picasso's relationship with Dora Maar, his fifth lover. In 1938, when Picasso painted this work, he ended his relationship with Marie-Th?r?se Walter and met Dora Maar, who was 26 years his junior.

A large painting featuring butterflies by British artist Damien Hirst, titled 'The Cauldron of Morning,' will also be auctioned. Works by other famous foreign artists such as Ugo Rondinone, Nicholas Party, Jenny Holzer, Mayuka Yamamoto, Jordi Cuixart, and Char Hughes will also be exhibited.

Many large-scale works around size 100 by domestic contemporary artists have also been included. Lee Ufan's 2017 work 'Dialogue' is estimated at 700 million to 1 billion KRW, Yoon Hyungkeun's 1997 work 'Burnt Umber & Ultramarine Blue' at 400 to 600 million KRW, and Ha Chonghyun's 1998 work 'Jeophap 98-04' at 300 to 400 million KRW. Three works by Jeon Gwangyoung, who is holding a solo exhibition at this year's Venice Biennale, will also be exhibited.

In the category of traditional art, 'Portrait of Yun Dongsung' painted by 18th-century royal court painter Han Jongyu and 'Danballyeongmang Geumgang,' a painting of Mount Geumgang by Geomjae Jeong Seon, will also be showcased.

There are a total of 171 works estimated to be worth about 17 billion KRW in this auction. The preview exhibition will be open for free viewing from the 16th to the 26th at Seoul Auction Gangnam Center.