Daesup Kwon (B.1952)
These lots have been imported from outside the EU … Read more PROPERTY FROM A SOUTH KOREAN COLLECTION
Daesup Kwon (B.1952)

Moon Jar

Details
Daesup Kwon (B.1952)
Moon Jar
incised and dated 'Dae,'14' (on the base)
white porcelain
20 high x 19 ½in. diameter (50.7 x 49.5cm.)
Executed in 2014
Provenance
Kongkan Gallery, Busan.
Private Collection, South Korea.
Special notice
These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 20%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. Where applicable Customs duty will be charged (per rate specified by HMRC guidance) on the Hammer price and VAT will be payable at 20% on duty. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

Brought to you by

Leonie Mir
Leonie Mir

Lot Essay

In 1978, DaeSup Kwon had a fortuitous encounter which entirely reoriented his artistic practice: ‘I was studying painting when I came across a white porcelain moon jar from the Joseon Dynasty at an antique shop in Seoul. I was enthralled by its graceful beauty, it was love at first sight, that jar, so simple at first glance. It left me with so many different impressions, I decided right there and then to become a potter instead of a painter’ (D. Kwon, Taste Contemporary, www.tastecontemporary.com/dae-sup-kwon/). Originally trained as a painter, Kwon has since only produced moon jars. Originally made during the 17-18th century, the shape of the moon is echoed in the spherical form of the sculpture, suggestive of the lunar cycle and the circle of life. The surface is decorated solely in the milky white glaze evocative the glow of the moon, exemplified in the present work, Moon Jar, 2014.

The process behind the moon jars is arduous and complex, requiring long firing time and high heat; accordingly, Kwon only creates 4 to 6 works a year, and despite their seemingly uniform shape, each is a marvel in white. As the artist explains, ‘To appreciate a moon jar properly you should look beyond its simple shape. Although it is a plain porcelain jar, with no decorative elements whatsoever, it will seem different every time you look at it. Depending on the circumstances it will look quite different when you feel good or when you feel gloomy, when the weather is sunny or rainy and cloudy’ (D. Kwon, Taste Contemporary, www.tastecontemporary.com/dae-sup-kwon/). Kwon received his BFA from the Hongik University in Korea. His work has been widely exhibited at the Seoul Museum, Seoul, and the Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, among others.

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