The Korea Herald

Thieves return Magritte oil after failing to find buyer

Jan 8, 2012

BRUSSELS (AFP) ― A painting by Belgian surrealist master Rene Magritte, stolen at gunpoint two years ago, has been returned after the thieves apparently failed to find a buyer, the Rene-Magritte museum said Friday.The work, titled “Olympia” and depicting the artist’s wife nude with a giant shell lying on her stomach, was stolen in September 2009 by two armed gunmen from Magritte’s former house, which is open as a museum by appointment only.Said to be worth around three million euros at the time,
Chinese troupe brings vibrant life to tragic tale

Jan 8, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― When the noted Chinese Ming Dynasty opera “The Peony Pavilion’’ came to Lincoln Center in 1999, the production lasted 20 hours, divided into six episodes.Now this tragic but redemptive love story is back at Lincoln Center ― this time in dance form, and considerably shorter: two hours, including intermission.Whether your tastes run to the long or short version of the tale, the China Jinling Dance Company provides an entertaining evening, full of vibrant colors, lush costumes, and
Photos give hope to HIV patients

Jan 5, 2012

Eight Magnum photographers touch hearts in ‘Access to Life’ projectLiving in the scorching sun in Haiti, Autha Adolph, 26-year-old at the time, could barely stand, talk or let alone smile due to extreme malnutrition and HIV infection. She weighed only 35 kg, her limbs bony and her digestive organs practically ruined. When she went to the hospital in November 2007, the doctors doubted that she would survive more than a few more days. Nine others who were sharing the same hospital room with her di
DVD mixes artistic talents of Korean, Japanese

Jan 4, 2012

Japanese art management house Office Tomoe will release a DVD album in March, containing collaboration projects of South Korean and Japanese artists. The main presentation of the DVD is a poetic music video titled “Landscape on the Way to Sleep,” which features vast landscapes and two people who are described as sages. Tomoe Shizune, the sole Japanese composer and artist who is carrying on the mainstream Butoh, a neo-expressionist contemporary Japanese dance form, took care of the music and chor
Feast your eyes on food-themed art

Jan 3, 2012

Exhibitions stimulate five senses by melding art with cookery and musicA giant cabbage hanging from the ceiling greets visitors at the entrance. Made of hanji and dyed in red and green, it is an instant reminder of the spicy flavors of Koreans’ favorite dish. “Is this real kimchi?” asked a boy who looked to be about 5 to his mother on Monday afternoon. His friends started to argue over whether it was real or not. “Art & Cook,” currently running at Sejong Museum of Art, is an art exhibition ― bu
Consistency, integrity: Legacy of Kim Whanki

Jan 1, 2012

Gallery Hyundai holds retrospective of late South Korean painterKim Whanki was a prolific painter ― he worked in the daytime to make use of the sunshine and at night because the electric light was too precious to waste. He worked about 16 hours a day, said Kim Geum-ja, the second daughter of the late South Korean, reminiscing in front of press members on Thursday about how stubbornly her father used to work. “He said that it is his life, to hold a brush. But my heart felt heavy and my pulse race
French artist Watteau features in rival London exhibits

Jan 1, 2012
Calendar

Dec 30, 2011

Exhibitions“Dreams of Atom”: Held as a part of the “International Cartoon & Art Festival 2011/12,” the exhibition showcases about 500 original drawings, paintings and publications of Japan’s legendary cartoonist Tezuka Osamu’s work including “Astro Boy,” “Jungle Emperor Leo” and “Sapphire Prince.” Other sections of the festival display works by several Korean and Japanese artists who pay homage to Osamu. The exhibition runs through April 1 at Goyang Aram Nuri’s Aram Art Museum and Gallery Nuri i
Ancient Japanese Buddhist artworks in Seoul

Dec 29, 2011

Artifacts from Japan’s Lake Biwa District on display at national museum in SeoulLocated in Japan’s Shiga Prefecture bordering the ancient capital city of Kyoto, Lake Biwako is the largest freshwater lake in the archipelago.The region surrounding the lake was introduced to Buddhism by Korea’s Baekje Kingdom (B.C. 18―A.D. 660) before anywhere else in Japan. With this and its proximity to Kyoto, the area developed its own cultural and spiritual flair, blending its local tastes with the mainstream c
Noel Rockmore, Picasso of New Orleans, revisited

Dec 29, 2011

NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ In the four-block radius where he painted and drank himself into frightening stupors, Noel Rockmore was known by the denizens of the French Quarter as an outrageous Pablo Picasso-like figure who combined the mythological and the real. He produced some 15,000 oil paintings, tempera
NYT calls Gwangju Biennale show highlight of 2011

Dec 28, 2011

The New York Times last week mentioned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei-directed show “Unnamed” at Korea’s Gwangju Design Biennale as one of the outstanding contemporary shows held this year.In its article titled “From Apple to Occupy, the Design Honors List for 2011,” which was published on Dec. 25, Ai’s show at Gwangju was mentioned as exceptional along with the Museum of Modern Art in New York’s communication design show called “Talk to Me.”The “Unnamed” show featured design products by
Yoko Ono traveling to India for ‘inspiration’

Dec 28, 2011

NEW DELHI (AFP) ― Yoko Ono believes Bollywood has a lot to teach the world and says she will be looking for “inspiration” in India when she holds an exhibition here next month.The avant-garde artist, musician and widow of Beatles singer John Lennon will visit New Delhi for an art show that opens on Jan. 13.The Japanese-born Ono, 78, told the Hindustan Times newspaper in an email interview from her New York home that she hoped to get more out of her coming trip than on a previous India visit she
More overseas cultural centers to open in 2012

Dec 27, 2011

Seven more Korean Cultural Centers will open next year, making 28 around the world, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on Tuesday. The new centers are scheduled to open in Hungary, Mexico, India, Thailand, Belgium, Brazil and Egypt by the end of 2012, the ministry said in a year-end press release. The cultural centers will continue their activities of introducing and promoting Korea’s culture, and increasing cultural exchanges with the respective organizations in each overseas city
A blast from the past with Astro Boy

Dec 26, 2011

Goyang Aram Nuri showcases cartoons by Tezuka Osamu, controversial worksThe little but brave Astro Boy used to fascinate children back in the 1970s, shooting up toward the sky clenching his tiny fists, wearing his impressive pair of red boots.Better known as Atom here, he was one of the first and most popular animation characters in the black-and-white TV days. He not only showered kids with hopes and dreams about science and outer space, but also pondered serious issues of the time such as the
Calendars

Dec 23, 2011

Classical Music“Vienna Strauss Festival Orchestra New Year’s Concert”: Vienna Strauss Festival Orchestra, founded in 1978 by artistic producer Peter Guth, will perform with soprano Im Sun-hae and hold its fourth performance in Korea on Jan. 18. The orchestra performed here as recently as January this year. The orchestra has been touring throughout Europe, Asia and America with a wide repertoire. In the upcoming concert, the orchestra will be performing pieces by composers Johann Strauss, Joseph