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Estimate: $ 20,000 - $ 30,000
WHANKI KIM Untitled.
Oil on canvas, circa 1970. 1060x1162 mm; 41 3/4x45 3/4 inches.
Kim (1913-1974) was a painter and pioneering abstract artist of Korea, born in the village of Eupdong-ri on the island of Kijwa, of Anjwa-myeon, Sinan County, South Jeolla Province in Korea under Japanese rule. Kim lived and worked in a number of cities and countries during his lifetime, including Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, and New York, where he passed away.
Kim belongs to the first generation of Korean abstract artists, mixing Asian concepts and ideals with abstraction. With refined and moderated formative expression based on Korean Lyricism, he created his characteristic art world. His artworks largely dealt with diverse hues and patterns. Kim's early works were semi-abstract paintings which allowed viewers to see certain forms, but his later works were more deeply absorbed abstract paintings, filled with lines and spaces.
The artist's partner Hyang-an Kim established the Whanki Foundation in 1978 and opened the Whanki Museum in 1992. The museum, located in Seoul, was built by Korean American architect Kyu Sung Woo.
Provenance: The artist (1913-1974), Seoul and New York; gift from the artist to his daughter Chung In Koo, née Kim (1938-1999), Seoul and Jacksonville, Florida; thence by descent to the current owners, private collection, Florida.
