Oil Painting by Jeon Joon Yeop. 29 x 21 inches, 73 x 53 cm. Jeon Joon Yeop (born 1953) is a well-known artist in South Korea, with numerous art reviews. He was the top-selling artist in last year’s Korea International Art Fair, Korea’s biggest art fair. Instead of finding comfort in his successes, Jeon accepts popularity as a challenge to further explore how to speak the ancient language of Korean landscape painting with a modern vocabulary of techniques, such as pouring, scratching, spreading, soaking, smudging, blowing, and densely recoating oil paint onto the canvas. Another seemingly modern technique that Jeon employs, the presentation of multiple viewpoints in a single painting, is actually an ancient technique in East Asian painting. Jeon even adds the viewpoint of the person in the painting, creating an attachment for the viewer of the painting so that the landscape is not objective and detached, thus keeping, and sharing, the Korean traditional subjective and harmonious view of nature.
Lee Seung O's innovative paper assemblage, 39 x 31.5 inches, 100 x 80 cm. Lee's work is in the permanent collection of many major museums, including the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, and he has an excellent auction record, with not a single work going unsold in the many major auctions that have listed his work over the last several years, including Christie's. It is said of Lee Seung O that he is an old spirit with a young mind. While so many young Korean artists are looking to the West for guidance, Lee has found inspiration in the soulful symbolism of traditional Korean folk art. His work is a most inventive and unrestrained interpretation of this tradition, true to the creative spirit of Korean folk art. He has created an entirely new technique of stacking colored paper and wetting the stacks so that they will be stuck together when they dry, then cutting the stacks into strips, and then assembling 'painting-like' compositions that use the edge of the stacks of paper, creating exciting works of great textural density. His work uses an everyday material to make us look at objects (and the world) from a different viewpoint and in an entirely new way, reminding us that innovation and beauty shouldn’t be forced or contrived and needn’t be sought in unknown regions, but can be rooted in tradition and found naturally.
Kim Young Mi, Wood-Fired Unglazed Porcelain Two. Kim Young Mi subjects these pieces to eight wood-firings, until the ash from the firing has performed all of its organic magic on the surfaces of these living, breathing works of art, giving incomparable texture and color to her nature-loving forms. Kim Young Mi renews the pristine artistic intention of humanity. She says, "My ceramic works are a form of meditation - my humble attempts to live in grace like an open vessel, empty and yet full, of giving and receiving." Kim Young Mi's ceramics, with her inner thoughts woven into the clay, are the end results of her meditation. They quietly stir the human heart. They transform ordinary clay into the extraordinary. 14h x 10w x 8.5d inches, 35.5h x 25.5w x 21.5d cm.
Joo Ji Wan's meditative groups of celadon cubes reference Korea’s ancient tradition of geometric patterns in a contemporary form. Her work was recently displayed at the Korea Society exhibition, Korean Contemporary Ceramics, and it was her work alone that was chosen for the cover of the exhibition catalogue. This fine set of 13 cubes is the very last set of cubes that Joo Ji Wan will offer for sale, as she is moving on to other projects, and there are no more cubes in her inventory or in the inventory of any gallery. She has saved this grand set of cubes, her very best, for last. Joo Ji Wan's work was also in From The Fire: Contemporary Korean Ceramics, an historic traveling exhibition of works by 54 of Korea’s best contemporary ceramic artists. It has traveled to major museums all over the world, and is the most important exhibition ever mounted on Korean contemporary ceramics. The artist given the very prestigious honor of having her work chosen for the front and back covers of the beautiful hardcover exhibition catalogue was Joo Ji Wan. In fact, her work alone was also chosen for the cover of all brochures and literature related to this most important exhibition, and so has become the symbol of contemporary Korean ceramics. Joo Ji Wan's work has been exhibited at a long list of major museums, including the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Yale University Art Gallery, Freer/Sackler Gallery of Art, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Harvard University Art Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, Saint Louis Museum of Art, Newark Museum, American Craft Museum, Portland Art Museum, Society for Contemporary Crafts, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Vancouver Art Museum, Royal Ontario Museum, and many others. It is appropriate that Joo offers her work in sets that are described with musical terms, such as Duo, Trio, Quartet, Ensemble, etc. Musical metaphor is almost required in describing Joo’s inlaid celadon and porcelain cube sets. Consider the melodic interplay of the pieces within a set, the rhythm of the patterns that are inlaid in each piece, and the harmony of the set as a whole. Just as music is mathematical but should not be predictable, Joo’s forms are simple, mathematically fundamental cubes that are inlaid with labyrinthine surprises rooted in Korea’s ancient tradition of geometric patterns imbued with centuries of meaning. Artistic innovation deeply rooted in Korea’s long celadon tradition is what puts Joo Ji Wan at the vanguard of Korean art today. Each cube: 5.25 inches, 13.25 cm. Entire Display: 31w x 21d x 26.5h inches, 78.75w x 53.25d x 67.25h cm.
Lee Seung O's innovative paper assemblage, 36 x 18.5 inches, 91 x 47 cm. Lee's work is in the permanent collection of many major museums, including the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, and he has an excellent auction record, with not a single work going unsold in the many major auctions that have listed his work over the last several years, including Christie's. It is said of Lee Seung O that he is an old spirit with a young mind. While so many young Korean artists are looking to the West for guidance, Lee has found inspiration in the soulful symbolism of traditional Korean folk art. His work is a most inventive and unrestrained interpretation of this tradition, true to the creative spirit of Korean folk art. He has created an entirely new technique of stacking colored paper and wetting the stacks so that they will be stuck together when they dry, then cutting the stacks into strips, and then assembling 'painting-like' compositions that use the edge of the stacks of paper, creating exciting works of great textural density. His work uses an everyday material to make us look at objects (and the world) from a different viewpoint and in an entirely new way, reminding us that innovation and beauty shouldn’t be forced or contrived and needn’t be sought in unknown regions, but can be rooted in tradition and found naturally.
Lee Seung O's innovative paper assemblage, 36 x 26 inches, 91 x 66 cm. Lee's work is in the permanent collection of many major museums, including the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, and he has an excellent auction record, with not a single work going unsold in the many major auctions that have listed his work over the last several years, including Christie's. It is said of Lee Seung O that he is an old spirit with a young mind. While so many young Korean artists are looking to the West for guidance, Lee has found inspiration in the soulful symbolism of traditional Korean folk art. His work is a most inventive and unrestrained interpretation of this tradition, true to the creative spirit of Korean folk art. He has created an entirely new technique of stacking colored paper and wetting the stacks so that they will be stuck together when they dry, then cutting the stacks into strips, and then assembling 'painting-like' compositions that use the edge of the stacks of paper, creating exciting works of great textural density. His work uses an everyday material to make us look at objects (and the world) from a different viewpoint and in an entirely new way, reminding us that innovation and beauty shouldn’t be forced or contrived and needn’t be sought in unknown regions, but can be rooted in tradition and found naturally.
Lee Seung O's innovative paper assemblage, 36 x 28.75 inches, 91 x 73 cm. Lee's work is in the permanent collection of many major museums, including the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, and he has an excellent auction record, with not a single work going unsold in the many major auctions that have listed his work over the last several years, including Christie's. It is said of Lee Seung O that he is an old spirit with a young mind. While so many young Korean artists are looking to the West for guidance, Lee has found inspiration in the soulful symbolism of traditional Korean folk art. His work is a most inventive and unrestrained interpretation of this tradition, true to the creative spirit of Korean folk art. He has created an entirely new technique of stacking colored paper and wetting the stacks so that they will be stuck together when they dry, then cutting the stacks into strips, and then assembling 'painting-like' compositions that use the edge of the stacks of paper, creating exciting works of great textural density. His work uses an everyday material to make us look at objects (and the world) from a different viewpoint and in an entirely new way, reminding us that innovation and beauty shouldn’t be forced or contrived and needn’t be sought in unknown regions, but can be rooted in tradition and found naturally.
Lee Seung O's innovative paper assemblage, 32 x 24 inches, 81 x 61 cm. Lee's work is in the permanent collection of many major museums, including the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, and he has an excellent auction record, with not a single work going unsold in the many major auctions that have listed his work over the last several years, including Christie's. It is said of Lee Seung O that he is an old spirit with a young mind. While so many young Korean artists are looking to the West for guidance, Lee has found inspiration in the soulful symbolism of traditional Korean folk art. His work is a most inventive and unrestrained interpretation of this tradition, true to the creative spirit of Korean folk art. He has created an entirely new technique of stacking colored paper and wetting the stacks so that they will be stuck together when they dry, then cutting the stacks into strips, and then assembling 'painting-like' compositions that use the edge of the stacks of paper, creating exciting works of great textural density. His work uses an everyday material to make us look at objects (and the world) from a different viewpoint and in an entirely new way, reminding us that innovation and beauty shouldn’t be forced or contrived and needn’t be sought in unknown regions, but can be rooted in tradition and found naturally.
Lee Seung O's innovative paper assemblage, 36 x 26 inches, 91 x 66 cm. Lee's work is in the permanent collection of many major museums, including the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, and he has an excellent auction record, with not a single work going unsold in the many major auctions that have listed his work over the last several years, including Christie's. It is said of Lee Seung O that he is an old spirit with a young mind. While so many young Korean artists are looking to the West for guidance, Lee has found inspiration in the soulful symbolism of traditional Korean folk art. His work is a most inventive and unrestrained interpretation of this tradition, true to the creative spirit of Korean folk art. He has created an entirely new technique of stacking colored paper and wetting the stacks so that they will be stuck together when they dry, then cutting the stacks into strips, and then assembling 'painting-like' compositions that use the edge of the stacks of paper, creating exciting works of great textural density. His work uses an everyday material to make us look at objects (and the world) from a different viewpoint and in an entirely new way, reminding us that innovation and beauty shouldn’t be forced or contrived and needn’t be sought in unknown regions, but can be rooted in tradition and found naturally.
Lee Seung O's innovative paper assemblage, 36 x 28.75 inches, 91 x 73 cm. Lee's work is in the permanent collection of many major museums, including the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, and he has an excellent auction record, with not a single work going unsold in the many major auctions that have listed his work over the last several years, including Christie's. It is said of Lee Seung O that he is an old spirit with a young mind. While so many young Korean artists are looking to the West for guidance, Lee has found inspiration in the soulful symbolism of traditional Korean folk art. His work is a most inventive and unrestrained interpretation of this tradition, true to the creative spirit of Korean folk art. He has created an entirely new technique of stacking colored paper and wetting the stacks so that they will be stuck together when they dry, then cutting the stacks into strips, and then assembling 'painting-like' compositions that use the edge of the stacks of paper, creating exciting works of great textural density. His work uses an everyday material to make us look at objects (and the world) from a different viewpoint and in an entirely new way, reminding us that innovation and beauty shouldn’t be forced or contrived and needn’t be sought in unknown regions, but can be rooted in tradition and found naturally.
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Korean : Furniture : Pre 1900
item #1490437
(stock #1541)
Rare and Fine 19th Century Korean Chaekjang Book Chest. You may never see another like this for under $10,000! 33w x 26.5h x 12d inches, 84w x 67.5h x 30.5d cm.
Masterpiece Ink Painting by Renowned Pioneering Korean Artist Don Ahn aka Ahn Dong Kuk (1937-2013). Painted in 1978. Ink on paper. Frame: 37 x 30 inches, 94 x 76 cm. Painting: 32.5 x 26 inches, 82.5 x 66 cm. We encourage you to research Don Ahn's sales record and market prices on sites such as Artsy, so you can appreciate what a great opportunity this is to purchase an original work of art by the master at a price well below the actual value. Don Ahn was a pioneer of Korean art in America. In the 1950s he was the first to move permanently to the US and receive recognition here, beginning with the 1952 exhibition of his work at the Kilbride Bradley Gallery in Minneapolis, the very first exhibition of Korean contemporary art in America. His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and other major museums. There was recently an exhibition of Don Ahn's work at the Walter Wickiser Gallery in New York's Chelsea art district. See also preeminent art critic Holland Cotter's review of Don Ahn's work in the April 4, 1997 New York Times article, Of Asians Among the Abstractionists, where he describes Don's paintings as "Exuberant" and "Inspired by Zen brushwork".
Lee Seung O's innovative paper assemblage, 24 x 18 inches, 61 x 46 cm. Lee's work is in the permanent collection of many major museums, including the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, and he has an excellent auction record, with not a single work going unsold in the many major auctions that have listed his work over the last several years, including Christie's. It is said of Lee Seung O that he is an old spirit with a young mind. While so many young Korean artists are looking to the West for guidance, Lee has found inspiration in the soulful symbolism of traditional Korean folk art. His work is a most inventive and unrestrained interpretation of this tradition, true to the creative spirit of Korean folk art. He has created an entirely new technique of stacking colored paper and wetting the stacks so that they will be stuck together when they dry, then cutting the stacks into strips, and then assembling 'painting-like' compositions that use the edge of the stacks of paper, creating exciting works of great textural density. His work uses an everyday material to make us look at objects (and the world) from a different viewpoint and in an entirely new way, reminding us that innovation and beauty shouldn’t be forced or contrived and needn’t be sought in unknown regions, but can be rooted in tradition and found naturally.
Rare Buncheong Vessel by Shin Sang Ho from 1993, during his buncheong period, with the original signed box. A piece that is both beautiful and important in the history of Korean contemporary ceramics. Shin Sang Ho was Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Hongik University, and his work is in the permanent collections of many major museums, including the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, and many other museums throughout Korea, Asia, and the world. This very fine example is probably the only work from Shin Sang Ho's buncheong period that is available for purchase, and that is not already in a museum or private collection. 8.5w x 7.5h inches, 21.5 x 19 cm.
All Items : Antiques : Regional Art : Asian : Korean : Metalwork : Pre 1900
item #1480970
(stock #1514)
This is a truly one-of-a-kind masterpiece of exquisite beauty that rewards long and repeated viewing. We have never seen a silver Joseon Dynasty lady's dagger (eunjangdo) with engraving entirely in a floral motif like this. The details are stunningly rendered along every millimeter of this fine work of art. Beyond the beauty of the luxurious surface, there is a deeper and thoughtful design that incorporates symbolism from ancient history. It is engraved with akebia mountain root (symbol of good health), lotus blossom (symbol of rebirth, because the lotus rises above the muck of the pond to show its face to the Sun), azalea (symbol of beauty and the "city flower" chosen by many of Korea's cities), peony (symbol of abundance because of its copious petals), banana leaf (the huge leaves are considered auspicious), plum blossoms (symbol of courage because they bloom before winter is not quite finished), and Korea's mugunghhwa national flower, the rose of sharon. Orchids are an ancient Korean symbol of purity, modesty, and virtue. The rock symbolizes eternity, so the combination of orchids and rock have the meaning of eternal adherence to principle. The dragonfly here is a symbol of purity. The small band in the middle has a key fret thunder pattern. Eunjangdo were worn by women of rank as a chest pendant and a symbol of their social standing. This dagger also served as a tool to save women from personal humiliation or peril, not by attacking an assailant but by killing themselves, under the Confucian moral obligation of medieval Korea 'to remain faithful to one spouse'. The silver chopsticks were used to determine the safety of food, as they would turn color if poison was present. 6 inches, 15 cm.
Woo Jong Taek (born 1973) paints with ink and watercolor on both sides of the paper, combining the ancient techniques of Goryeo Dynasty Buddhist painting with modern techniques to create compositions that are deeply contemplative meditations on our modern times, casting the 21st Century everyman as Bodhisattva, offering us a thoughtful way to see our world. Woo is in touch with Korea's ancient history while he is also informed by the modern minjung 'people's movement' in art. His paintings are a rare and paradoxical combination of bold brushwork and sensitive rendering, and characters that seem timid, but are confident in their compassion. They reward repeated viewing with a variety of emotions, ‘hope’ being chief among them. 60 x 60 inches, 150 x 150 cm.
Woo Jong Taek (born 1973) paints with ink and watercolor on both sides of the paper, combining the ancient techniques of Goryeo Dynasty Buddhist painting with modern techniques to create compositions that are deeply contemplative meditations on our modern times, casting the 21st Century everyman as Bodhisattva, offering us a thoughtful way to see our world. Woo is in touch with Korea's ancient history while he is also informed by the modern minjung 'people's movement' in art. His paintings are a rare and paradoxical combination of bold brushwork and sensitive rendering, and characters that seem timid, but are confident in their compassion. They reward repeated viewing with a variety of emotions, ‘hope’ being chief among them. 51 x 27 inches, 130 x 69 cm.
Woo Jong Taek (born 1973) paints with ink and watercolor on both sides of the paper, combining the ancient techniques of Goryeo Dynasty Buddhist painting with modern techniques to create compositions that are deeply contemplative meditations on our modern times, casting the 21st Century everyman as Bodhisattva, offering us a thoughtful way to see our world. Woo is in touch with Korea's ancient history while he is also informed by the modern minjung 'people's movement' in art. His paintings are a rare and paradoxical combination of bold brushwork and sensitive rendering, and characters that seem timid, but are confident in their compassion. They reward repeated viewing with a variety of emotions, ‘hope’ being chief among them. 67 x 54 inches, 170 x 136 cm.