(Whanki,'Universe'= photo by Whanki Art Museum)
Sayart.net
Jason Yim, yimjongho1969@gmail.com
It was revealed that the owner of Kim Whanki's representative work 'Universe' (Universe 5-IV-71 #200), the most expensive piece of Korean art sold at 13.2 billion won, is Global Sae-a Group Chairman Kim Woong-gi.
Global Sae-a Group announced on July 12, “We will open Gallery S2A at our headquarters in Gangnam-Gu, Seoul. In addition, we will introduce representative works of contemporary art at home and abroad, such as Kim Whanki’s 'Space', owned by Chairman Kim Woong-gi."
Chairman Kim is a representative collector in Korea. He is said to have bought Kim Whanki's universe at Christie's Hong Kong auction held in November 2019 for about 13.2 million won (purchasing fee not included).
At the time of the auction, some in the art world speculated that the winning bidder in the universe was a foreign businessman. However, in the end, it was confirmed after three years that Chairman Kim possessed ‘universe’.
Kim Whanki's 'Universe' is the largest abstract painting and the only two-panel painting among his works.
The universe was completed in his later years, the 'New York Era'. Each piece measures 127 × 254 cm, and the sum of the two points is 254 × 254 cm.
Kim Whan-ki's supporter and friend, Mr. and Mrs. Kim, bought it directly from the artist and kept it for over 40 years. Christie's Hong Kong was the first to be auctioned off after its completion in 1971. The record for the highest price set by ‘universe’ has not been broken until now.
Chairman Kim Woong-gi also owns a piece that recorded the highest price in Korea among Yayoi Kusama's representative work 'Pumpkin'.
