Gallery Hyundai’s 55 years of history on view

Behind the Korean art scene’s growth are pioneering galleries that supported artists and consistently served collectors — and one of those is Gallery Hyundai, founded in Seoul’s Insa-dong neighborhood 55 years ago.

The leading gallery is now located in Samcheong-dong, led by Do Hyung-teh, president of the gallery and son of the founder, Park Myung-ja. Marking its 55th anniversary, the gallery opened the exhibition “55 Years: A Legacy of Modern & Contemporary Korean Art,” which looks back on the history of the commercial gallery and its artists.

When the gallery was founded on April 4, 1970, as Hyundai Hwarang, the Korean art market was still developing, and the gallery played a major role in cultivating and supporting talented Korean contemporary artists.

“Through this exhibition, the gallery invites visitors to explore the past, present and future of Gallery Hyundai and Korean modern and contemporary art,” the gallery noted on the exhibition.

The first section of the exhibition brings together artists who had a special relationship with the gallery, dating back to its founding by Park in the 1970s through the 1990s. The artists include Park Soo-keun, Chang Uc-chin and Lee Jung-seob who are widely regarded as masters of Korean art, known for paintings that portray family life and evoke Korean sensibilities.

Two other masters — Kim Whan-ki and Yoo Young-kuk — whose popular works have led the Korean art market, are presented in the show as pioneers in the history of Korean contemporary abstract art.

Under Do’s leadership, the gallery has worked to raise the profile of Korean experimental artists such as Quac In-sik, Sung Neung-kyung, Lee Kun-yong and Lee Seung-taek. Their works were shown at the Guggenheim Museum in New York last year at the exhibition titled “Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s-1970s.”

Among the artists whose works are on display at the exhibition is Paik Nam-june, who also had a special relationship with the gallery under Park’s leadership. Famously, Paik performed at the gallery in 1990 in tribute to his long-time friend and German artist Joseph Beuys, who died in 1986. Paik later had two solo exhibitions at the gallery in 1992 and 1995.

Another artist, Shin Sung-hy — whose “sewn-canvas” series was highlighted at the Venice Biennale last year in a solo collateral exhibition — is also part of the exhibition.

A total of 36 artists and 180 of their works will be on view starting Tuesday. Due to its proximity to the Constitutional Court, the gallery will be closed this Friday and Saturday as security measures intensify ahead of the impeachment ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol.

yunapark@heraldcorp.com