The Whanki Museum in Seoul has reopened its doors with the exhibition “Kim Whanki_The Immortal Nature,” following an extensive renovation of the 33-year-old building and gallery spaces. The museum had closed in February.
Located on a hill in Buam-dong, Jongno-gu, the museum is dedicated to Korea’s pioneering abstract artist known for his unique dotted paintings. Born in 1913, Kim died of a stroke in 1974 at the age of 60.
Kim’s painting “05-IV-71 #200 (Universe),” fetched 13.2 billion won ($9.2 million) at a Hong Kong auction in 2019, the highest-ever price for a Korean artwork sold at an auction, a record which is yet to be broken.
“We renovated the space before it got too old, repairing the granite exterior," Park Mee-jung, director of the museum, told The Korea Herald on Monday. “We changed the galleries' lighting to LED lights, which is the biggest part of the renovation.”
The museum was designed by US-based architect Woo Kyu-seung who often visits the museum to check on the space, according to the museum. A fair number of museum visitors come to see the museum building itself, which reflects the elements of nature that Kim considered important for his art, such as mountains, the moon and clouds.
“Kim Whanki_The Immortal Nature” reveals how ordinary and fleeting moments in Kim's life influenced his art through some 130 oil paintings, drawings and archival materials.
“The exhibition focuses on how Kim cherished nature, which, I think, is where his art begins,” the director said.
The exhibition is accompanied by some old relics collected by Kim -- a white porcelain piece from the late Joseon era (1392-1910) and a stone bust of Buddha from the Three Kingdoms period (18 BC-660 AD).
The “Kim Whanki_The Duet” exhibition is also on view at the museum annex, featuring the blue dot painting “Duet,” which Kim completed just before his death.
Both exhibitions run through March 5.
