Revamped award offers assistance to selected artistsThe National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea is holding its artists-of-the year exhibition as part of its efforts to discover and promote contemporary artists. The recipients of the 2012 Korea Artist Prize are Gim Hong-sok; Moon Kyung-won and Jeon Joon-ho as a team; Yee Soo-kyung; and Lim Min-ouk. The artists will showcase their new artwork at the exhibition from Aug. 31 to Nov. 11 at the Gwacheon branch of the museum. The museum will select

 Lee Sea-hyun presents his interpretation of Korean landscape and modern history in vivid colorsKorean artist Lee Sea-hyun, once acclaimed as the artist who can best portray his country by the famous Swiss art collector Uli Sigg, has brought new interpretation of Korean society and landscape to the Korean audience. Well-known for the red landscape painting series “Between Red,” Lee took his artistic endeavor to the next level with his new “Rainbow” series along with four sculptures for an upcomi

The Yanghyun Foundation announced on Thursday the selection of Mexican artist Abraham Cruzvillegas as the winner of the 5th Yanghyun Prize. Cruzvillegas, 44, received recognition in the international art scene with his installation and video works that reflect the unique social and economic circumstances in Mexico. “Cruzvillegas explores the social, historical meaning of an object and expresses the meanings through an artwork in different forms,” said the judges.  The Mexican artist has been act

When Union Pharmacy CEO Ahn Byung-gwang bought a print copy of the famous modern Korean painter Lee Jung-seob’s “Bull” painting in 1983, Ahn didn’t know who the artist was or whether it was just a print copy or an original painting. Now 29 years have passed, and he has became a collector of more than 100 paintings, including the authentic “Bull” painting, and is about to open a museum to share his collection with a wider audience. “I took cover from rain under the roof of a photo frame shop and

(AFP)An elderly woman's catastrophic attempt to "restore" a century-old oil painting of Christ in a Spanish church has provoked popular uproar, and amusement.The well-intentioned but ham-fisted amateur artist, in her 80s, took it upon herself to fill in the patches and paint over the original work, which depicted Christ crowned with thorns, his sorrowful gaze lifted to heaven.Her work done, the "r

The sluggish economy has hit the art fair market as seen in the number of foreign galleries stepping back from participating in this year’s Asia Top Gallery Hotel Art Fair Seoul, which is slated to open at the Westin Chosun from Friday to Sunday. The number of participating foreign art galleries decreased from 20 in 2010 to nine this year due to the poor economy around the world, which has also struck Korea. The total number of galleries participating decreased from 69 in 2010 to 52 this year. 

Avril Lavigne and Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger aren’t just making music together. They’re getting hitched.A spokeswoman for Lavigne confirmed a Tuesday report from People magazine that the 27-year-old pop singer and 37-year-old rocker became engaged earlier this month after dating for six months.The magazine says Lavigne was introduced to Kroeger in February when they met to co-write a song for Lavigne’s upcoming album. It will be the first marriage for Kroeger and the second for Lavigne. Sh

New Leipzig School’s artwork on exhibitWhen the Berlin Wall stood between East and West Germany for 29 years, a distinctive painting style developed on the eastern part of the thick concrete wall. Korean viewers can see the works of successors of East German art that are on exhibit at Seongnam Art Center under the title “German Now from Leipzig,” which offers a rare glimpse into how the art style developed during the era of Iron Wall and evolved after the unification. The exhibition may make som

A British art expert says two of the figures in Leonardo da Vinci‘s masterpiece “The Last Supper” are actually self-portraits of the artist.Ross King said this week that while not a lot is known about Da Vinci’s physical appearance at the time he painted “The Last Supper,” he is confident the noses on two of the apostles are a giveaway.King has concluded the long hair, beards and Greek noses on the two matched up with a portrait of the Italian master drawn years later. Greek noses and prominent

Organizers of the 2013 Seoul International Typography Biennale said the focus of the event will be the role of typefaces as inspiration for active writing, as the event will serve as a channel to shed light on different characters from the West and the East. “The Seoul International Typography Biennale is the sole typography event in the world. And as a country with its own alphabet, it is our responsibility to let others recognize the importance of letters and typefaces,” Ahn Sang-soo, one of t

Retrospective to show the 99-year-old artist’s lifetime endeavor of depicting spaceSpace has been an inspiration for Korean abstract artist Han Mook since he saw the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.Over a half century, bearing that theme in mind, the 99-year-old Paris-based artist created all sorts of depictions of space, from the two-dimensional to the four-dimensional, using geometric structures and vibrant colors. At his upcoming retrospective at Gallery Hyundai Gangnam in Seoul, Han presents

Society’s mental state expressed in awkward, uncomfortable settingsAnxiety seems to be the word that best explains the current state of Korean society, as demonstrated in the choice of anxiety and tension as the focus of an upcoming experimental art exhibition. The annual thematic exhibition at Arko Art Center in Seoul portrays different aspects of anxiety under the theme of “Playground” from Friday to Sept. 28.It features works by nine artists, illustrating the anxiety-ridden state of contempor

Art company launches project to discover young creative talentArtday has launched a project to discover young, promising artists and help them debut in the art market. The online auction company, a subsidiary of the Herald Corp., is holding an exhibition of 15 young artists in their 20s and 30s from Aug. 15-31 both on its website and at a gallery in Seoul.The Rising Artist Project serves as a platform to facilitate the sales of the young artists’ works, a feature that distinguishes it from other

S.M. Entertainment, one of the here three major entertainment agencies, said Thursday that it will jump into the global exhibition business to better promote exports of the country’s entertainment content.“S.M. Entertainment will not be a company that only manages celebrities, produces music, drama series and theater performances like musicals. It will also become a leading exporter of entertainment content. This S.M. ART Exhibition will also be exported (to countries around the world),” Kim You

Renowned actress Ha Ji-won and director Kim Ji-hoon will serve as mentors for the Korea-China youth cultural exchange program “Beijing Toto Laboratory,” scheduled to be held in Beijing’s Kwanggeomun Middle School, Aug. 13 -17. Forty teenagers from Korea and China will participate in making eight films during the five-day program jointly sponsored by CJ CGV and Boys Vanguard of the Chinese Communist Youth Association. Ha and Kim, who gained popularity in China with their film “Sector 7,” will lec