The Korea Herald

Picassos settle sculpture custody battle in New York

Jun 16, 2016

NEW YORK (AFP) - An international custody battle for a Picasso sculpture worth more than $100 million has been settled in favor of a New York billionaire, forcing the artist’s family to pay agents of the Qatari royal family.The out-of-court deal required Pablo Picasso’s heirs to make an undisclosed payment to London-based agents Pelham Europe, who initially negotiated to buy the sculpture for $47 million on behalf of their Qatari clients.A family dispute prompted the Picassos to renege on the de
London’s Tate Modern museum expands horizons

Jun 15, 2016

LONDON (AFP) – London’s Tate Modern museum will this week unveil a vast pyramidal extension providing extra gallery space for the millions of guests who pour through its doors each year.The modern art museum has been a roaring success since it opened in 2000, with more than 5 million people now annually visiting the former power station, whose silhouette looms over the south bank of the River Thames.This is more than twice the number of visitors originally planned, leaving gallery-goers jostling
Art powerhouse Tate Modern expands with pyramid-shaped tower

Jun 14, 2016

LONDON (AP)— It's the disused power station that became an art-world powerhouse, and now London's Tate Modern is even bigger, with a new 10-story wing to help absorb more than 5 million visitors a year.The gallery beside the River Thames opened in 2000 and succeeded beyond its creators' wildest dreams, becoming the world's most visited modern art museum.This week it opens a 260 million pound ($367 million) pyramid-shaped extension by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron.The gallery now ha
Back to back: Dutch expo reveals art‘s surprising side

Jun 14, 2016

THE HAGUE (AFP) -- For centuries many have pondered what lies behind the Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile, but it was more of a rhetorical question. Now art lovers can literally discover what the back of Da Vinci’s masterpiece looks like.In a unique and quirky Dutch exhibition, Brazilian artist Vik Muniz displays about 15 painstakingly recreated exact reproductions of the backs of some of the world’s most famous paintings.There’s Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” leaning facing the wall across the ro
Russia showcases flamboyant Ballets Russes designer Leon Bakst

Jun 13, 2016

MOSCOW (AFP) - The exotic stage and costume designs of Russian-born designer Leon Bakst, made famous at the Ballets Russes, are on display in a major retrospective in Moscow which examines his shock impact on fashion and theatre.The exhibition which opened last week at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts features around 250 works by the designer, born 150 years ago.“This exhibition is unprecedented, with works from around 30 Russian and Western collections -- both private and public,” said Marina Lo
Summer exhibitions highlight 20th century masters

Jun 12, 2016

Seoul abounds each summer in exhibitions of work by Western art masters, which often become crowded with not only the usual art lovers but families with children visiting museums and galleries as part of school assignments. This year, key figures of 20th century are highlights of the city’s art calendar.　Starting with the ongoing show of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera at the Seoul Arts Center, big names that represent major 20th art movements such as Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, Bernard Buffet and
Rare Henry Moore could fetch $29m at auction

Jun 9, 2016

LONDON (AP) -- One of the most famous sculptures by Henry Moore could sell for almost $30 million, and set a record for the artist at a London auction this month.Christie’s says “Reclining Figure: Festival” could fetch between 15 million pounds ($22 million) and 20 million pounds at a June 30 sale.The sinuous, 2.3 meter-long bronze of a reclining woman was created for the 1951 Festival of Britain, which signaled the country’s cultural resurgence after World War II and its austere aftermath.Moore
Versailles unveils giant waterfall that ‘holds up the sky’

Jun 9, 2016

VERSAILLES, France (AFP) - It is so big he claimed it “almost holds up the sky.”But Danish artist Olafur Eliasson refused Monday to reveal just how tall the giant waterfall he has created at France’s Palace of Versailles actually is.“The height is perfect,” he told reporters as he unveiled the spectacular installation which cascades into the Grand Canal of the famous royal gardens outside Paris.“Just as I intended, it will obscure the sun when it sets” on Midsummer’s Day, said the artist, who ha
Veteran actor Yu In-chon to reprise role as Hamlet after 16 years

Jun 8, 2016

Not only does this production of “Hamlet” commemorate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, it also commemorates the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late director Lee Hae-rang, who staged Shakespeare for the first time in Korea in 1949. 　This year’s anniversary celebration of Shakespeare’s classic tale is slated to open next month with an all-star lineup of veteran stage actors including Kwon Seong-deok, Park Jeong-ja and Yu In-chon. The production’s nine-member cast has a
Artist Christo walks on water with “Floating Piers”

Jun 8, 2016

ISEO, Italy (AP) -- It’s taken nearly 2,000 years, but regular folks will soon get to feel what it is like to walk on water thanks to a project by the artist Christo, who may or may not have had his namesake in mind when envisioning his latest project: “The Floating Piers.” “Any interpretation is legitimate,” Christo, 80, allowed graciously in an interview Tuesday with the Associated Press at the picturesque Lake Iseo in northern Italy where his 23rd large-scale installation is just a week and a
Gallery operator indicted for counterfeiting S. Korean artist‘s works

Jun 8, 2016

Prosecutors said Wednesday they have indicted a 66-year-old gallery operator on charges of forging artworks made by renowned Korean artist Lee U-fan.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said the suspect, identified only by his surname Hyeon, is accused of receiving some 1.3 billion won ($1.1 million) in 2012 for drawing and selling three fake artworks.The 66-year-old allegedly received an offer from an unidentified antique dealer to fabricate Lee’s works in 2011, in return for 50 perce
World's first web content festival to open in Gwangju this month

Jun 7, 2016

The world's first web content festival will kick off in the southwestern city of Gwangju this month, organizers said Tuesday.Web content refers to cartoons, novels, dramas and videos created for the Internet or mobile devices.Co-hosted by the Gwangju city government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the inaugural Gwangju World Web Contents Festival will be held at the Asia Culture Center from June 23 to June 26.About 20 popular web content creators and officials from domestic mult
Korea opens K-pop academy in Mexico

Jun 7, 2016

South Korea has opened an academy in Mexico that allows locals to experience first-hand what it is like to be trained into a K-pop star, the Korean Cultural Center here said Tuesday.The Mexico K-pop Academy is sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and is part of the programs offered at Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and the Korean Cultural Center in the city.The 10-week program is divided into two parts -- the first six weeks will be dedicated to l
Harry Potter, now a dad, makes stage debut in London

Jun 6, 2016

LONDON (AFP) - Harry Potter makes his stage debut on Tuesday in a new London play that imagines the fictional boy wizard as a father of three, in the latest offshoot of the globally successful franchise.　“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is set 19 years after the seventh and final book in the series by J.K. Rowling, which have sold more than 450 million copies since 1997 and been adapted into eight films.　Like many of his fans, Potter has now grown up and has three children with his wife Ginny
Life of Lee Jung-seob at a glance

Jun 6, 2016

MMCA retrospective spans Lee’s abruptly halted 20-year career