Pace Gallery Seoul's head works to build lasting place for Korean art
For the first two years after joining Pace Gallery, Lee Young-joo found herself constantly shuttling between Seoul and Hong Kong. In 2015, the blue-chip New York gallery was looking toward Hong Kong, not Seoul. The Asian art market was expanding rapidly and the world’s major dealers were following the money into China and Hong Kong. Lee was brought in as a senior director to help with Pace’s…
Lee Young-joo, who joined Pace Gallery in Seoul two years ago, spent her early days navigating between Seoul and Hong Kong. At that time, the renowned New York gallery was shifting its focus towards Hong Kong, a trend driven by the burgeoning Asian art market. Major dealers were gravitating towards China and Hong Kong, recognizing the burgeoning market.
Lee was recruited as a senior director to aid in Pace's burgeoning Hong Kong operation. Her exposure to Hong Kong's art scene and its transformation captured her attention. She noted how dealers and artists from around the globe converged in Hong Kong, witnessing the complex ecosystem's growth and absorption into the local market.
This experience ignited a thought in Lee: why couldn't a similar situation unfold in Korea? Although Korean collectors were already venturing to Hong Kong for fairs and purchases, Lee understood that Korea lacked a fully developed infrastructure to match its burgeoning appetite for art.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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