The foundation’s art collectors, Frans Broersen and his partners, have visited North Korea several times to collect very secretive paintings from contemporary North Korean painters, excluding suggestive or political pieces.(image courtesy of Yonahap)
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — The Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) in Goyang is holding a rare exhibition. The North Korean Art Exhibition, which features 150 paintings from 70 North Korean contemporary painters, will be held at KINTEX from January 29 to March 6. The exhibit is hosted by Springtime Art, a Dutch art foundation.
The foundation’s art collectors, Frans Broersen and his partners, have visited North Korea several times to collect very secretive paintings from contemporary North Korean painters, excluding suggestive or political pieces. The collection numbers more than 2,000 pieces of art, and is the largest collection of contemporary North Korean art in the world.
Springtime Art has already held an exhibit of North Korean art in Europe. Its exhibition in Vilnius, Lithuania, drew the attention of 50,000 visitors from more than 10 countries. The Lithuania exhibition was not the first display of North Korean paintings in Europe. The British Museum has a collection of North Korean art after having purchased some works in North Korea.
According to Frans Broersen’s words in a Reuters article, he has paid money to artists, not the state, while amassing paintings from North Korea. He told Reuters that he paid from 100 euros to 17,000 euros per piece.
The exhibit at KINTEX features famous North Korean artists such as Im Ryeol, Gong Cheon-kwon, Choi Ha-taek, Jong Hwa, Shin Cheol-woong, Kim Il-soo, Jeong Chang-mo, Song Yoo-young and Moon Hwa-Cheon.
By J.W. Choi (summerchoi@koreabizwire.com)
