K-Auction September Auction Features 1.6 Billion KRW KAWS Large Sculpture and Kim Sowol's 'Azaleas' First Edition

Kaws' large 2.5m sculpture 'Companion (Original Fake)' is seeking a new owner with an estimated price of 1.4 to 1.6 billion KRW.

KAWS b.1974 American Companion (Original Fake) rubber paint on fiberglass, 103×85×243.8(h)cm (edition 2/3), 2011
[Photo by K Auction]

Art auction house K Auction announced on the 11th that it will offer a total of 102 items worth approximately 8.3 billion KRW at an auction held at its headquarters in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 20th.

The highest-priced item in this auction is Kaws' large sculpture 'Companion,' a work that sparked a craze worldwide, including Korea, from 2017 to 2018. The character, symbolized by eyes shaped like an X, is credited with bringing graffiti art into the popular domain.

Additionally, George Condo's painting The Arrival is up for auction with an estimated price of 680 million to 850 million KRW, and Ayako Rokkaku's painting 'Untitled' is estimated at 950 million to 1.25 billion KRW.

In the Korean painting and antique art category, the first edition of Kim Sowol's poetry collection Azaleas, published by Jungang Seorim in 1925, is attracting attention with an estimated price of 100 million to 200 million KRW.

Kim Sowol (1902~1934) Azalea Flower printed edition, 14.7×10cm, 250 pages, 1925.
[Photo by K Auction]

Printed on December 23, 1925, and published on December 26 by Maemunsa (賣文社), a publishing company in Gyeongseong (Seoul), this poetry collection contains a total of 127 poems including his representative works such as 'Mountain Flower,' 'Chohon,' 'Unforgettable,' and 'Mom and Sister.'

A K Auction official explained, "The first edition of Azaleas holds high literary historical value because it allows readers to experience the poet's unique spelling and expressions at the time of writing. Especially, this exhibited copy has no missing or damaged pages, and the printing condition of each page is excellent, making it an important material that conveys the sentiment of Korean literature in the 1920s."

The exhibited works can be viewed free of charge without reservation. The auction can be participated in by registering as a K Auction member (free) and bidding in writing, on-site, by phone, or via online live bidding. On the day of the auction, the 20th, anyone can attend the auction regardless of membership status.