Hockney's 2m Masterpiece Makes Korean Auction Debut... Seoul Auction to Feature 6.48 Billion Won Sale

Contemporary Art Sale at Gangnam Center on July 21

104 Lots Estimated at 6.48 Billion Won

Featuring Kim Whanki’s Dot Painting, Inseong Lee’s Oil on Wood, and Nam June Paik’s Video Artwork

A large-scale photographic drawing by David Hockney, measuring over 2 meters, will be introduced to the Korean auction market for the first time.

David Hockney 'Focus Moving' photographic drawing printed on paper mounted on Dibond, 170×218.5cm, 2018. Seoul Auction

On July 9, Seoul Auction announced that it will hold the "CONTEMPORARY ART SALE" at its Gangnam Center in Seoul at 4:00 p.m. on July 21. The auction will feature a total of 104 lots, including 102 modern and contemporary artworks and two luxury items. The combined low estimate totals approximately 6.479 billion won.

The highlight of this auction is Hockney's 2018 work, "Focus Moving." This is the first time a large photographic drawing over 2 meters in size by Hockney will be released in the domestic auction market. The piece is characterized by a multi-perspective composition that departs from traditional perspective and a hexagonal format with a cropped lower corner. Inside a studio-like space, industrial trolleys, numbers, and wall blueprints are arranged to draw the viewer’s gaze continuously across the canvas.

For this auction, Seoul Auction has placed a major focus on contemporary British artists. In addition to Hockney, works include a steel sculpture by Anthony Caro, a gouache on paper by Anish Kapoor, edition sets from Damien Hirst’s "Spot" and "The Cure" series, and an LCD piece from Julian Opie’s "Walking" series. The company explained that the increased domestic interest in British contemporary art reflects the impact of the recent Damien Hirst exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Inseong Lee, Landscape, oil on paper mounted on wooden board, 23.8×32.9cm, 1930s. Seoul Auction

The Korean modern and contemporary section features rare older works. Inseong Lee’s "Landscape," believed to have been painted in the 1930s, is an oil painting on a wooden panel depicting a tiled-roof house, a figure dressed in hanbok, and trees left barren by logging during the Japanese colonial period. Oil paintings by Inseong Lee are rarely seen at auction, and, unlike his more common watercolors, this is a rare early oil work, making it particularly notable. The estimated price is from 90 million to 150 million won.

Jeonggyu’s "Hut" will also be offered. This piece was previously part of the late Lee Kyungseong’s collection, the former director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and later owned by Kim Yongwon, former professional manager of the Daewoo Group. The work was also exhibited in the 2019 "Rediscovering Modern Artists 1: The Age of Silence" exhibition at the Deoksugung branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Also included is a landscape painting of Frankfurt Cathedral by Daewon Lee, based on his experiences in Germany in the 1950s.

Kim Hwani, Untitled, oil on Korean paper, 52×39.5cm, 1970. Seoul Auction

Among works by major Korean masters, Kim Hwani’s 1970 full-dot painting will be on offer. This piece, executed in dark blue oil on Korean paper from his New York period, is estimated at 170 million to 320 million won. Other major Korean contemporary artists represented in the auction include Park Seobo, Lee Ufan, Kim Chang-Yeol, Jeong Sanghwa, and Lee Bae. Nam June Paik’s 1995 work "Nam June Paik I" is estimated at 95 million to 200 million won.

There are also works targeting the younger collector demographic. Kim Sunwoo’s "Nevermind" is a dodo bird piece inspired by the album cover of the American rock band Nirvana. Works by Sung Ryul, known for designing Baek Yerin’s album covers, and Yoon Hyup, who depicts urban landscapes using lines and dots, are also included in the auction.

During the auction period, a special exhibition titled "Premium Pokemon Cards" will be held on the first-floor concierge of Seoul Auction’s Gangnam Center. Highlighting Pokemon cards as a new collectible item and alternative investment asset, the exhibition will be conducted as a private sale. This side event demonstrates how far the collecting culture can expand within an auction house traditionally centered on fine art.

The preview will run from July 10 to July 21 on the 5th and 6th floors of Seoul Auction’s Gangnam Center. Viewing hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily.

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