Rare Antique Artworks and Nam June Paik's Piece to Be Auctioned at Seoul Auction on the 18th
'Daedongyeojido', Masterpieces of Korean Ceramics, and Major Contemporary Artists Featured
Rare antique artworks, including the woodblock map 'Daedongyeojido' by Gosanja (古山子) Kim Jeong-ho, will be featured in the '182nd Art Auction' held at Seoul Auction Gangnam Center at 4 PM on the 18th. A total of 130 lots will be offered, with a total estimated value of approximately 6.4 billion KRW (low estimate).
According to Seoul Auction, the exhibited 'Daedongyeojido' is the Shinyu edition produced in 1861. Originally a 22-panel folding album, it has now been transformed into three folding screen panels. Enhanced with various colors to improve readability and artistic value, it is considered highly rare. It is unusual for this item to appear at auction, as most of the 35 surviving copies of 'Daedongyeojido' are held by museums or institutions.
Craftworks such as ceramics and wooden objects, which possess both artistic merit and rarity, will also be exhibited. The 'Baekja Cheonghwa Unryongmun Ho' (White Porcelain Blue-and-White Cloud and Dragon Pattern Vase), featuring a finely detailed dragon, is a masterpiece from the 18th century. The 'Cheongja Sanggam Poryusu Geummun Pyeonho' and 'Cheongja Sanggam Gukhwamun Pyohyeong Jujah' are works that showcase the beauty of various Goryeo celadon porcelains.
Works by major Korean contemporary artists will also be presented. Nam June Paik’s 'Hacker Newbie' (1974) anticipates the future society by early proposing the concept of the 'electronic superhighway.' Using media representative of each era such as TV, radio, and telephone, the bipedal robot figure reflects the image of future people bustling along the 'electronic superhighway.'
Notably, works by Kim Gwan-su, who was a central figure in the 1980s 'TA-RA' group and gained attention for his original works criticizing mainstream institutional art, will appear in a major auction for the first time. The exhibited piece features tree branches arranged in a cross shape on canvas, with smaller branches extending from each end. It raises questions about the boundaries and distinctions between contrasting concepts such as reality and illusion, creation and extinction, nature and civilization.
This auction also highlights works by various modern artists. 'Sinsundo' by master portrait artist Lee Dang Kim Eun-ho, showcasing his mature brushwork across a vast canvas, will be offered. Modernist Lee In-seong’s oriental painting 'Sansuinmuldos,' blending traditional Eastern painting elements with free brushwork to reveal a unique modernity, and Park Young-sun’s 'Le Bouquiniste de La Seine,' depicting the Paris Seine landscape in a cubist style, are also key pieces.
A preview exhibition for Seoul Auction’s '182nd Art Auction' is currently underway at the Seoul Auction Gangnam Center. The exhibition is open to the public free of charge until the auction day on the 18th. Viewing hours are daily from 10 AM to 7 PM.
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