On the used trading platform 'Carrot Market', a sale claiming the authenticity of artist Kim Hwan-ki, the master of abstract art in Korea, is up and controversy is brewing.



Yesterday (3rd), a series of posts were posted on some online communities, saying, "Kim Hwan-ki's work worth 1.5 billion has been uploaded to the carrot market."



The post they shared was recently posted by Mr. A, a carrot market user active in Bupyeong-dong, Bupyeong-gu, Incheon.



In the post, Mr. A claimed, "I bought it in the United States as a shopkeeper's work by Kim Hwan-ki," and "the seal attached to the back is a trace of display."



He then wrote, "Buy for 1.5 billion and sell for 4 billion." "If it is a fake, I will compensate for more than 80% of the original price within 3 months with the conscience of the seller."



In fact, the works of painter Kim Hwan-ki are traded at the highest price among Korean art pieces whenever they are auctioned.


Enlarge Image

▲ Artist Kim Hwan-ki 'Universe'


The 1971 work 'Universe' (original title: 05-IV-71 #200) by artist Kim Whan-ki, which appeared at Christie's Hong Kong auction in 2019, was auctioned off at 13.2 billion won and traded.



Netizens who saw this responded, "If Kim Whanki's work costs 1.5 billion, it's really cheap" and "If it's real, you can earn more than 4 billion." He said, "The seller is investing in lies," and did not believe it.



In the midst of various reactions from netizens, it is easy to see that it is false if you look at the words "Kim Hwan-ki's 1954 jeomsa (front fire) genuine article" claimed by Mr. A.



Looking at the trend of artist Kim Hwan-gi's work, it was only in the 1970s that he attempted 'pointillism' in which dots and lines were repeated countless times.



In the works of artist Kim Hwan-gi at the time of '1954', which Mr. A claims the work was produced, there is a tendency to express Korean taste with simple lines such as pots, moon-like round shapes, mountains and bare trees.



As a result, it is known that the current post posted by Mr. A is subject to sanctions due to accumulated reports, and the platform said that "the sale of counterfeit products is strictly prohibited through its operating policy."



(Photo = Courtesy of Christy Korea, Yonhap News, Carrot Market)