Last year, pianist Cho Seong-jin caused a sensation when he became the first Korean to win the International Chopin Piano Competition at the age of 21. Over 90,000 copies of his two live albums were sold in Korea within a month. Classical music experts around the world lauded the “expressive nuance” of Cho’s interpretations. Naturally, Korean parents wondered how he had been educated.“My parents never pressured me. My mom didn’t even expect I would keep playing the piano. My dad told me to quit

Nov. 16, 2016

Three people have been arrested for allegedly forging and selling copies of artist Lee U-fan’s paintings, the Seoul Metropolitan Police said Tuesday.　An art dealer only identified by the surname Gu, her husband Kim and painter Park are suspected of having created six of 13 seized paintings thought to be forgeries of works by well-known painter Lee U-fan. Painter Lee maintains that the 13 paintings in questions are his authentic works.Police said Gu and Kim are suspected of distributing some 40 c

Nov. 16, 2016

K-pop stars behind some of this year’s hit summer tracks are returning with new ballad releases just in time for the cold days ahead. Gearing up to unveil its first EP in over a year is the ballad group SG Wannabe. The trio revealed teaser clips for each of the tracks, including the title single “I am Missing You,” from its upcoming mini album “Our Days” on the group’s official social media channels on Wednesday morning.  Written and produced in part by SG Wannabe members, the five-track album w

Nov. 16, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) -- A rediscovered painting by Frida Kahlo is going to auction this month in New York.The 1929 portrait, called “Nieuroa con Collar” or “Girl with Necklace,” will be part of Sotheby’s Latin America: Modern Art sale on Nov. 22. Its presale estimate is $1.5 million to $2 million.Kahlo’s husband, artist Diego Rivera, gave the work to her personal assistant in 1955, the year after she died.Until it surfaced over the summer, the only record of the portrait had been a black-and-white phot

Nov. 16, 2016

Actress-singer Kwon So-hyun is getting a fresh start. 　The 22-year-old, a former member of the now-disbanded K-pop group 4Minute, has signed with 935 Entertainment in a bid to further her acting career, the company announced Tuesday. 　“(Kwon) has shown lots of potential since her early days as a child actress,” 935 Entertainment said in a statement. “We will be supporting her wholeheartedly in her activities as an actress at home and abroad.”　 Others under the agency include veteran actors such

Nov. 15, 2016

ROME (AFP) -- Police in Rome are examining CCTV footage in a bid to identify vandals who damaged one of the city’s most famous pieces of public sculpture, Bernini’s “Elephant and Obelisk.”The landmark work, tucked away in a little square near the Pantheon, features an elephant carrying the obelisk on its back and was first placed in the Piazza della Minerva in the 17th Century. Gian Lorenzo Bernini oversaw the sculpture of the elephant, which had the tip of its left trunk broken off in the overn

Nov. 15, 2016

BERLIN (AFP) - From sculptors to actors and filmmakers, Berlin has become a magnet for Syrian artists fleeing their country's brutal violence to a place where they can express themselves without fear.While Beirut and Paris have long been the destinations of choice for Arab artists, the German capital has in recent years earned a reputation as a more adventurous, progressive alternative for exiled creators.As well as offering affordable spaces to live and work, Berlin is “the city of anarchy and

Nov. 15, 2016

Edvard Munch’s “Girls on the Bridge” sold for $54.5 million in New York on Monday, the second-highest auction price paid for a work by the Norwegian painter, Sotheby’s said.The 1902 painting depicting women in colorful dresses that contrast with a dark, anguished landscape, fetched a price solidly higher than the auction house’s estimate of above $50 million.The painting has broken records every time it has gone under the hammer. It went for $30.8 million in 2008, compared with $7.7 million in 1

Nov. 15, 2016

Singer Im Seul-ong of K-pop boy band 2AM will hold his first solo concert next month. “This concert is an opportunity for fans to experience Im’s various releases from the past eight years,” said the artist’s management agency sidusHQ on Monday. Special guests are also scheduled to join Im on stage, the company added. The 29-year-old made his debut as a 2AM member with the hit single “This Song” in 2008. Originally signed under JYP Entertainment, the four-member act has been on a break since Im

Nov. 14, 2016

Singer-songwriter Kim Gun-mo is gearing up for his much anticipated return to the music scene. 　The 48-year-old artist, who debuted in 1992, will be releasing a new mini album “50” on Saturday, according to the record label Music & New last week. This is Kim’s first album in five years, following the release of his 13th studio album “Autobiography” in 2011.The upcoming six-track EP will feature collaborations with other artists, including UJi of K-pop girl group BESTie and Jo Hyun-ah of rhythm-a

Nov. 14, 2016

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) - Abu Dhabi's Louvre museum said Sunday it was commissioning artists Giuseppe Penone and Jenny Holzer to create artworks to be displayed at its grand opening next year.Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and built at a cost of half a billion euros, the Louvre Abu Dhabi will feature 9,200 square meters of gallery space.“Giuseppe Penone and Jenny Holzer have worked closely with the Louvre Abu Dhabi team to develop sculptures and installations reflecting t

Nov. 14, 2016

NEW YORK (AFP) -- New York's fall auction season kicks off this week with a sparkling array of masterpieces expected to draw bidders from around the world at Christie’s and Sotheby’s.From Edvard Munch’s Expressionist “Girls on the Bridge” to Willem De Kooning’s abstract “Untitled XXV,” the two major auction houses have put together an impressive collection of paintings and sculptures from some of the 20th century’s greatest names for the prestigious sales running Monday to Thursday.There will be

Nov. 14, 2016

LONDON (AFP) -- A London auction of music legend David Bowie‘s art collection has ended with sales totaling almost 33 million pounds ($41.5 million), after exhibits of the works drew record crowds, Sotheby’s said Saturday.Every item in the collection, which included over 130 works of modern and contemporary British art, was sold in a series of sales as buyers’ enthusiasm for the late musician’s collection exceeded expectations.Exhibitions of the works in London attracted some 51,470 visitors, th

Nov. 13, 2016

PARIS (AFP) -- Rock star Sting on Saturday reopened the Bataclan, the Paris concert hall where jihadists massacred 90 people, with a hugely symbolic and emotional show to mark the first anniversary of France’s bloodiest terror attack.But in a sensational turn of events, the US group Eagles of Death Metal who were on stage when the bloodshed started on November 13, 2015, were turned away from the door.“They came, I threw them out -- there are things you can’t forgive,” Bataclan co-director Jules

Nov. 13, 2016

Veteran musicians Lee Seung-hwan, Lee Hyori and Jeon In-kwon joined hands to come up with a new single whose title loosely translates to “Tossed Out on the Streets.” Written by composer Lee Kyu-ho, the song seeks to console a nation engrossed by the political scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her longtime associate Choi Soon-sil, a civilian accused of meddling in state affairs. “The song aims to assuage the citizens, who have been left out in the cold, wintry streets,” announced Lee

Nov. 11, 2016