Prints starting at 0 won in the basement, Kim Whanki’s blue dot painting on the 6th floor: A visit to Seoul Auction’s ‘2026 Auction Show’

Black chairs were lined up on a blue carpet facing the auction podium. A Yoshitomo Nara exhibition poster showing a girl with one eye covered by a cross of tape hung on a partition beside the seating area. I visited the basement fifth floor of Seoul Auction Gangnam Center in Gangnam District, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 11th. That evening, La Classe, a four-member male vocal ensemble, performed on the auction-room stage to open the event.The ‘2026 Auction Show’ (AUCTION SHOW), which opened that day, runs through the 24th. Seoul Auction Co. Ltd. is presenting about 1,000 artworks and collectibles across 12 auctions and eight exhibitions and brand pop-ups.■ Exhibits in boxes on the 1st floor, flowers and music on the 3rdWhite boxes lined the 1st-floor ‘Inch-Inch Market.’ One compartment held colorful rabbit- and bear-shaped objects, while the next displayed a painting of a bridge over a pond and a small sculpture. The market was organized by b.frame, Seoul Auction Co. Ltd.’s art magazine. About 50 artists each decorated one compartment. Scanning the QR code beside a box brings up information about the artist and the work. Small items modeled after the artworks, such as magnets, are available for purchase at the desk.
In the paintings hanging on the 3rd-floor walls, flowers and vines surround faces made up of spheres and triangles. The works are from a new ‘Flower’ series by American artist Devon DeJardin. The exhibition features seven paintings and nine drawings, along with cover-art prints made in collaboration with THE 8, a member of the group Seventeen. An unreleased song by THE 8 plays in the gallery.
The market and solo exhibition run through the 17th. On the 3rd floor, a Korean traditional art exhibition by Japan’s Mainichi Auction runs from the 19th to the 21st, followed by a vintage Hermès pop-up from the 22nd to the 24th. On the 1st floor, Pokémon cards made in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum and cards reinterpreting Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ (Skrik) will be unveiled from the 19th to the 24th.
The Auction Show is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and until 8 p.m. on the 13th and 20th. Admission closes 30 minutes before the viewing period ends. Tickets cost 22,000 won, and visitors may re-enter during the event. Children aged 12 and under are admitted free. Bidders must register as Seoul Auction Co. Ltd. members and register for a paddle (bidding number).■ Kim Whanki’s blue dot painting makes its debut on the 6th floorNotices about exhibitions and auctions on each floor were posted inside the elevator. On the 6th floor, visitors can preview works in the ‘Evening Sale,’ which starts at 5 p.m. on the 23rd. A large Joseon white porcelain jar, 47.3 cm tall, stood on a white plinth in front of a large window.
Kim Whanki’s 1971 work ‘30-XI-71 #212’ measures 152 cm wide by 46.8 cm high. Bands of yellow and red dots cross the blue canvas. Traces of paint bleeding into the cotton fabric remain around the edges of the dots. This all-over dot painting is being shown in Korea for the first time, with a low estimate of 2.8 billion won. A 1969 painting with a cross-shaped composition and works from the 1960s ‘Sanwŏl’ series will also go under the hammer.
The Evening Sale comprises 34 works valued at about 19 billion won. A large painting by Damien Hirst, displayed at the entrance on the 1st floor, is also among the lots. Real butterfly wings fill its approximately 3-meter-high arched canvas, evoking the stained-glass windows of a cathedral. The low estimate is 2.4 billion won. The ‘Contemporary Day Sale’ at 4 p.m. on the 24th will feature 73 works, including pieces by Woo Kukwon and Suh Do-ho.
A Seoul Auction Co. Ltd. representative said, “We organized the event so visitors could experience art up close and take part in auctions according to their tastes.” The representative added, “We hope it will offer existing collectors a chance to make new discoveries and give those new to auctions an opportunity to broaden their interest from appreciating artworks to owning them.”■ Basement auction rooms: prints starting at 0 won and a charity auctionThe first event in the daily auctions, ‘Art Poster,’ is scheduled for 4 p.m. on the 12th. The 2007 Yoshitomo Nara exhibition poster hanging beside the opening stage and another poster by the same artist from 2001 have starting bids of 1.2 million won and 0 won, respectively. On the online bidding page viewed during the preview, advance bids for another poster with a starting bid of 300,000 won had reached 1 million won.
A print auction will be held at 4 p.m. on the 13th. A limited-edition print based on an original work by Marc Chagall and produced after the artist’s death has a starting bid of 0 won. More than 40 prints by Kim Jeom-seon can be bid on starting at either 0 won or 10,000 won. The buyer’s premium is 18% of the hammer price, excluding VAT.
At ‘Modern Craft: A Dialogue of Textures’ on the 15th, reproduction furniture made from reclaimed wood and silverware decorated with cloisonné enamel will go under the hammer. For the preview, a room was furnished with furniture and crafts, and flowers were arranged in a rice chest once used to store rice. Works on paper and editions will be offered on the 17th, while the ‘Suchaekjibo’ auction on the 19th will feature old maps, ceramics and more.
Goods seized from high-value tax delinquents and slated for the National Tax Service Special Auction on the 14th are on display on the basement first floor. Of the 99 lots, the 81 online lots will close sequentially starting at 2 p.m. At 4 p.m., 18 lots, including Rolex watches and Hermès bags, will be auctioned in person in the auction room on the basement fifth floor, connected to the entrance on the basement fourth floor.
At 4 p.m. on the 20th, World Children’s Day, Seoul Auction Co. Ltd. and the Korean Committee for UNICEF will hold a charity auction to support children around the world. To mark UNICEF’s 80th anniversary, artists including Lee Bae, Kim Sun-woo and Eva Armisen have donated works.
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