K Auction to Offer Portraits by Chinese Artist Zeng Fanzhi This April

Two portrait paintings from a 2007 series by Chinese contemporary art master Zeng Fanzhi will be featured in an upcoming auction in Korea. This is through a sale held by K Auction on April 26, 2023. Around 80 items worth about USD 5.3 million (KRW 7.1 billion) will be presented at the auction. K Auction cited Zeng Fanzhi’s work as the most notable entry.

The available portrait pair reflects the author’s life and Chinese society and shows a man in a suit and a woman with a long head, big hands, and articulated facial features. The paintings are expected to sell for between $860,000 and $1.12 million (KRW 1.15 billion – ₩1.5 billion). The work was last auctioned in 2015 in Hong Kong by K Auction. Zeng Fanzhi was born in Wuhan, China in 1964 and majored in oil painting, drawing attention with a hospital series drawn as a graduation work influenced by German Neo-Expressionism at the time. Afterwards, the Meat and Mask series were introduced, and the Portrait series followed.

The auction will also feature five works by Ayako Rokkaku, who ranked seventh in the Korean art auction market last year. Among them, Untitled (2018) is estimated to sell for between $750,000 to $940,000 (KRW 1 billion to ₩1.25 billion). In addition, a variety of overseas artists’ works will be exhibited, including Chiharu Shiota, Milo Matthieu, Fika Leon, and Arkiv Vilmansa.

In the modern and contemporary art section of the sale, SooKeun Park’s still life painting Lilies stands out. Lily is the flower that Park liked during his lifetime. This work depicts two lily flowers on the artist’s unique rough surface, and the estimated price is $150,000 to $300,000 (KRW 200 million to ₩400 million). In addition, two masterpieces measuring three meters will be listed. JongHak Kim’s Summer Stream (estimated $150,000 to $260,000) is filled with pasqueflower, corni, forsythia, pumpkin flower, and sponge. WalChong Lee’s Golden Mean of Jeju Living (estimated $67,000 to $225,000) also offers a bright and lively energy.

Beyond contemporary art, the sale presents paintings by Seung-up Jang, Bang-woon Lee, Young-bang Song, and Kichang Kim; wooden furniture such as Jukjejangsaeng munjitong and Namhansansung Half-Closing Site; and ceramics such as Baekjacheonghwa Moranmunja, Buncheong ware Moonhwabal will also be exhibited. The auction entries will be available to view free of charge at the K-Auction Exhibition Hall until April 26.