582 - KIM, TSCHANG-YEUL

KIM, TSCHANG-YEUL 1929 Miangsan, Korea–2021 Seoul, South Korea Title: Untitled (Water Drops). Date: 1974. Technique: Oil and graphite on canvas. Dimensions: 50 x 50 cm. Notation: Signed and dated lower right: T. Kim 74. Inscribed on the back of the stretcher: NO. 22 TSCHANGYEUL KIM. We are grateful to Mr. Oan Kim, the artist’s son, for his kind scholarly support. Provenance: - Galerie Sprick, Bochum (label) - Private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia - Private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia (donated in 1985) - Iconic work by one of Korea’s most important contemporary painters - Meticulous attention to detail and photorealistic representation create the illusion of three-dimensionality - Reflects the artist’s engagement with Far Eastern philosophy and Western conceptual art Tschang-Yeul Kim is one of Korea’s most important contemporary artists. Born in North Korea, he fled to Seoul in 1946 and began his artistic training there. The Korean War interrupted his studies and shaped his entire body of work. Beginning in 1965, Kim lived in New York, where he experimented with abstract forms of expression before settling permanently in Paris in 1969. There he developed his distinctive visual language. The artist combines Far Eastern traditions with Western lyrical abstraction and gained international recognition. For over five decades, Kim has devoted himself to the motif of the water drop—a symbol of memory, transience, and the processing of personal trauma. The drop represents the fragility of life and the constant presence of the past in the present. His works reflect the synthesis of Eastern philosophy and Western art and define Kim’s unique artistic approach. In the lower half of the canvas of the painting presented here, six water droplets are carefully arranged. They appear to be flowing across the canvas, with the droplet on the far left moving particularly quickly. The upper portion is deliberately left empty, creating a sense of vast stillness. The droplets appear deceptively real thanks to subtle reflections of light and delicate shadows, and each of the six droplets captivates with its individuality. Kim captures the transparency and transience of the drops with almost supernatural precision. The one on the right is nearly transparent; moving to the left, they become more colorful and tactile. This creates a poetic interplay of contrasts such as light and shadow, form and dissolution, realism and idealism. The contrast between the vivid illusion of the droplets and the rough, textured surface of the canvas further builds atmospheric tension. This composition invites the viewer to focus on the moment of observation, hold their breath, and immerse themselves in deep reflection. Estimated shipping costs for this lot: This lot is not suitable for parcel shipping. Transport is available only through a shipping company after consultation following the auction. Additional shipping insurance Shipping insurance up to a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: max. 41.65 euros For a total invoice amount exceeding 25,000 Euros: 1.8 per thousand Shipping to the U.S. by individual arrangement after the auction. #Tschang-Yeul Kim #Figurative Painting #Acoustic Art #Korea #Contemporary Art #1970s #Post-War. In accordance with §26 UrhG (German Copyright Act), VAN HAM is obligated to pay a statutory resale royalty on the sale proceeds of all original works of fine art and photography whose authors have not been deceased for 70 years prior to the end of the calendar year of the sale. The buyer shall contribute 1.5% of the hammer price toward this fee.