Auctioneer hammers home the importance of arts education
Arts auctioneer Bong Lee sees his mission as educating Asia's young collectors, writes Crystal Tai
Fine art is expensive - and Bong Lee knows this better than most people. He learnt this lesson as a 13-year-old growing up in a family involved in the fine arts industry of his native South Korea when he accidentally knocked over a Picasso ceramic his father owned.
Luckily, the priceless piece was just a little chipped, "My brother took the blame for me," Lee recalls with a chuckle.
The behaviour with any wealth in the world - if ... you want to save it properly - is to invest in art
Lee's family pioneered the development of the contemporary arts industry in South Korea, having founded one of the country's most influential galleries, Gana Art, in 1983, as well as its largest auction house, the publicly traded Seoul Auction, and JangHeung Artpark, a private art museum near Seoul.
Lee also provides consulting support for the Hong Kong branches of his family's operations.
"Lee Ho-jae, my father, has worked with more than 300 artists throughout the years," says Lee. "He specialised in Korean antiques and ceramics, but also dealt heavily with Western artists such as Mark Rothko, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Réné Magritte, and so on."