Suh Kyung-bae and Kim Woong-gi. Image by YTN.Who were the influential collectors that made a significant impact on the global art world over the past year?
On October 17, ARTnews released its 2023 edition of the “ARTnews Top 200 Collectors” list. Since 1990, ARTnews has been publishing this list every year as the collecting activities of influential collectors play a vital role in shaping art history.
Of the 200 collectors listed, Suh Kyung-bae, the chairman of Amorepacific, and Kim Woong-gi, the chairman of Global Sae-A Group, made it on the list for the second consecutive year.
Chairman Suh inaugurated the Amorepacific Museum of Art in 2018. In 2008, he donated $300,000 to establish the Women’s Gallery in the Korean Art section of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Since 2011, Suh has annually donated $200,000 for five years to the museum to acquire Korean contemporary artworks.
Chairman Kim drew attention in the art world in 2019 when he acquired Whanki Kim’s work Universe 5-IV-71 #200, which achieved the highest auction price for a Korean artwork at $132 million in a Christie’s Hong Kong auction. In 2022, he opened the cultural and art space S2A.
