
Korea’s pioneering abstract artist Kim Whan-ki’s paintings completed in New York in his late years will go under the hammer Jan. 22 at K Auction's headquarters in Seoul.
A total of 118 works worth some 7 billion won will be offered at the auction, ranging from Korea’s art masters to leading contemporary artists such as Kim Whan-ki, Cheon Kyeong-ja, Kim Tschang-yeul, Lee U-fan, Ha Chong-hyun, Yun Hyeong-keun, Chung Sang-hwa, Lee Bae and Yang Hae-gue.
Among the works are 8 paintings and drawings by Kim Whan-ki from his late years in New York, worth 2.1 billion won. After staying in Paris for three years to broaden his experience as an artist, Kim moved to New York in 1963, where he died of a stroke in 1974 at the age of 60.
Kim's “4-XI-69 #132,” created in 1969 and featuring his poetic dots across the entire canvas, will start at 800 million won. Another untitled painting created in the same year, featuring the so-called “Whan-ki blue” and elements from nature, was shown as part of the exhibition “Kim Whanki: The 10th Memorial Anniversary Exhibition” held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea in 1984.

Works up for auction by other modern artists include a Park Soo-keun drawing on paper and a Chang Uc-chin marker painting.
The Korean art market saw a decrease in sales last year -- auction sales at the country's three major auction houses fell 27.2 percent on-year in the third quarter, according to a report by Korea Art Authentication and Appraisal Institute.
Louis Vuitton’s tote bag “Neverfull MM Monogram,” designed in collaboration with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama -- one of the most popular artists in the Korean auction market -- will be offered, with bids starting at 3 million won.
A preview exhibition can be seen at K Auction in southern Seoul before the works go under the hammer at 4 p.m. on Jan. 22.