Korea`s oldest Buddhist painting goes on auction

SEOUL, March 13 (Yonhap) -- The oldest existing Buddhist painting in Korea, with
a presumed value of 1 billion won (US$670,000), will go on auction in Seoul this
month, the auction organizer said Friday.
The painting, which dates from 1580 during the Joseon Dynasty, is older by nearly
five decades than a painting of Buddha housed in the National Museum of Korea,
Seoul Auction said.
As one of the two largest auction houses in Korea, Seoul Auction will also be
showcasing a rare landscape oil painting by late Korean artist Lee Jung-seob
(1916-1956) and a calligraphic work by prominent Korean independence fighter Ahn
Jung-geun (1879-1910).
In what will be Seoul Auction's largest stage this year, U.S. minimalist artist
Donald Judd's 1987 sculpture and paintings by Korean artists Park Soo-keun and
Lee Woo-hwan will also be sold, with prices ranging from 800 million to 2 billion
won.
A total of 101 art works, including 46 ancient paintings and 10 by foreign
artists, will be up for auction on March 26 at Seoul Auction Space in central
Seoul. Previews will be held beginning this week in Seoul and the southern port
city of Busan.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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