The Korea Herald

Art bank launched by government

Oct 10, 2012

The Korean government launched an art bank to better manage the state-owned art collection and to run a proper loan system. “The government art bank will manage the art collection professionally and systematically. By doing so, I hope we can improve the quality of the government art collection and stimulate the art market,” said Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik at the launching event at the National Museum of Contemporary Art on Wednesday. With the establishment of the art bank, all purchases an
Pop Art genius Lichtenstein gets major U.S. retrospective

Oct 10, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Roy Lichtenstein, the American painter whose comic book-inspired canvases gave the Pop Art movement some of its most vivid images, is getting his first major retrospective since his death 15 years ago.Beginning Sunday, the National Gallery of Art in Washington will be exhibiting 130 of his paintings, drawings and sculptures, reflecting a long and prolific career that ended when he passed away at the age of 73.The show moves to the Tate Modern museum in London next February and
Take a peek through ‘The Keyhole’

Oct 10, 2012

Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf’s first exhibition in Korea features his latest series ‘The Keyhole’ and ‘Dawn & Dusk’Whether through a window or through Facebook, everyone has his share of experiences peeking into others’ lives. Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf captured a boy sitting on a table and peering through a keyhole to portray the urge to peek and the curious state of the mind. The photo is part of his latest “The Keyhole” series completed in 2011. Subjects in the series are all turned away
Man arrested on suspicion of defacing Rothko work

Oct 9, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― British police on Monday arrested the man who told journalists he was responsible for scrawling graffiti on a mural by modern American master Mark Rothko at London’s Tate Modern museum.Scotland Yard launched its investigation after the mural, one of Rothko’s Seagram series, was defaced Sunday with what appears to be the words “Vladimir’’ and “a potential piece of yellowism.’’Vladimir Umanets, who identifies himself as the co-founder an artistic movement he calls “Yellowism,’’ told
How social media is used as art

Oct 9, 2012

The Seventh Seoul International Media Art Biennale presents media art that is approachable, accessible through social mediaMedia has become a very important part of our lives, but when it comes to art that involves different media forms, it still seems too distant to ordinary people. But at the Seoul International Media Art Biennale, people may be surprised to know how much media art can seep into everyday life and how much it enriches our lives. “People think media art is difficult. But if an a
When ballet meets figure skating

Oct 4, 2012

Russia’s ice theater troupe presents Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’While Olympic champion Kim Yu-na has made figure skating more of a spectator sport than ever before in Korea, many still may not be familiar with the genre of ice theater.Hence Russia’s Bobrin Ice Theatre’s performance of Tchaikovsky classic “Swan Lake” would offer a unique experience for both local ballet fans as well as figure skating buffs. The troupe has been in Seoul since last week, to present the Tchaikovsky piece not in toe sh
World contemporary art market resists economic slowdown: report

Oct 3, 2012

PARIS (AFP) ― The world contemporary art market is holding up despite a global economic slowdown, with 2011/2012 auctions returning the third biggest revenues in history, Artprice said in a report obtained exclusively by AFP.“Given the amplitude of the economic crisis, we can say that the contemporary art market is showing strong resistance,” Thierry Ehrmann, chairman and founder of Artprice told AFP.Receipts from auctions held between June 2011 and June 2012 declined six percent to 860 million
Kia chief designer reveals inspiration in art exhibition

Oct 2, 2012

Kia’s chief designer Peter Schreyer has revealed his design inspirations through his first solo art exhibition. The renowned auto designer, who brought a design revolution to Kia with the K-series, showed his other artistic side through some 60 pieces that offer glimpses of his sources of inspiration for automobile design and his life. “When you do design, you do it to appeal to the audience. But when you do art, it’s completely different. You don’t have to appeal. I do it just with my feelings
Shanghai seeks premier art status with new museums

Oct 2, 2012

SHANGHAI (AFP) ― Shanghai on Monday opened two new art museums on the former site of the 2010 World Expo, as China’s commercial hub seeks to rival art capitals like New York and Paris.The China Art Museum, intended to be Shanghai’s premier showplace for modern art, threw open its doors in the former China pavilion, which was the signature building for the world’s fair.“The scale and configuration is matchless in Asia. It is close to America’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, France’s Musee d’Orsay an
Anne Hathaway to sing ‘Cabaret’ songs in New York

Sept 27, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― Anne Hathaway is ready to show off another side ― her singing side.The Academy Award nominee will perform songs from the musical “Cabaret’’ for a one-night-only concert Oct. 24 to celebrate the revitalization of The Public Theatre’s downtown home.The Public says Hathaway will croon several of the iconic musical’s songs, including “Willkommen,’’ “Cabaret,’’ “Maybe This Time’’ and “Perfectly Marvelous’’ at Joe’s Pub.Tickets range from $100 to $300 and include food and drinks.Hathaw
Royal Collection buys Warhol portraits of queen

Sept 25, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Britain’s Royal Collection Trust has gone Pop Art with the purchase of four famous Andy Warhol portraits of Queen Elizabeth II.The colorful screenprints are based on a formal photograph of the queen wearing a tiara and necklace that was used during her Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977.They will form part of the Portraits of a Monarch exhibit starting in November at Windsor Castle. The purchase was announced Monday, but royal officials refused to say how much was paid for the por
Amid cultural clash, Louvre honors Islamic art

Sept 24, 2012

PARIS (AP) ― In its boldest development in a generation, the Louvre Museum has a new wing dedicated to Islamic art, a nearly 100 million $130 million project that comes at a tense time between the West and the Muslim world. Louvre curators tout their new Islamic Art department, which took 11 years to build and opens to the public on Saturday, as a way to help bridge cultural divides. They say it offers a highbrow and respectful counterpart to the recent unflattering depictions of the Prophet Muh
The world we perceive is in mirrors

Sept 24, 2012

Lee Bul starts second phase of her artistic career three months after a retrospective exhibition in JapanLee Bul, one of Korea’s most internationally recognized artists, embarked on a new phase in her artistic career presenting new sculptures three months after a retrospective exhibition in Japan. Lee recalled the three-month project to create the four brand new pieces “reckless,” but admitted she found a light at the end of the long tunnel that might lead her to a new phase of her art world. “
A nomad wrapping up the world in bottari

Sept 23, 2012

Artist Kim Sooja’s multimedia works explore geography and history via focus on fabricDespite her calm exterior and soothing voice, there is a certain amount of tenseness in Kim Sooja, a Korean artist based primarily in New York ― “primarily” because her work has her on the road for stretches of time.The palpable tension is a deliberately cultivated one, product of a purposeful decision. “There are habitual elements that the body feels and you need to work against it. You need tension, awareness,
How stories make compelling design

Sept 21, 2012

Park Seo-won (left), CEO of Big Ant International, and Jungwook Hong, chairman of Herald Corporation, discuss the theme of “Sharing Wisdom: Classic, an Everlasting Source of Creativity” during the Herald Design Forum 2012 at COEX Auditorium in southern Seoul on Friday. (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)Leading design figures talk about their career, inspirations and visionTwo leading design figures talked on Friday about their sources of inspiration during a special session at the Herald Design Fo