Korean artist's work fetches top price in Hong Kong auction

By Kim Young-gyo HONG KONG, May 31 (Yonhap) -- A painting by South Korean abstract artist Kim Whan-ki has fetched the highest price in a Hong Kong auction amid growing interest in Asian artwork among international art collectors, an auction house said Tuesday. South Korean auction house Seoul Auction said that "Birds" painted by Kim fetched HK$6.9 million (US$886,154), the highest price among 75 works of leading Western, Korean, Japanese and Chinese artists presented in the auction at Hong Kong's Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Another piece by Kim, "Mountain and Moon," commanded HK$851,500, double its pre-sale estimate, Seoul Auction said. Among the works by younger artists, "Marilyn" by Kim Dong-yoo attracted active bidding and was purchased for HK$564,000, the auction firm said. Seoul Auction also sold "Statue of Venus" by Yayoi Kusama, one of the most famous living Japanese artists, for HK$4.96 million. Since 2008, Seoul Auction has been actively serving buyers and sellers who trade in the Hong Kong market. It opened a representative office in Beijing earlier this month at the art district of Dashanzi in an effort to provide even better and more tailored services for its growing number of clients in China.