Monumental German art is being displayed in the Korean capital thanks to a new installation at a diplomat’s house.

Two sculptures from contemporary artist Dietrich Klinge are being displayed at the German Ambassador’s residence on a hill overlooking Seoul.

The sculptures are being shown in the grounds of Hans-Ulrich Seidt’s Seongbuk-dong home in order to give Koreans and international guests an impression of Germany’s expressive contemporary art scene.

Klinge, who was born in 1954 in what was then East Germany, has won praise for his angular yet elegant representations of the human form ― their bronze castings are said to reduce his subjects to their essential frame.

“We are trying to show this country major works of German art,” said Seidt. “We have major sculptures by contemporary German artists at other embassies around the world but I am very happy to display the works of Dietrich Klinge here as he is a great artist.”

“Klinge, in my opinion, is so expressive,” said German art promoter Peter Femfert, who helped bring the sculptor’s works to Korea.

“As a technical example of German art this style of sculpture is very expressive. Klinge is not a superficial artist ― his works are quite substantial.”

The larger Klinge sculpture being displayed the German embassy weighs 800 kilograms and is worth 180,000 euros (about $233,900). A smaller piece sits at the opposite side of the house which already boasts several contemporary German paintings in its reception area. 

Femfert, who is the main promoter of Klinge’s work in Germany and helped bring the works to Korea, invited guests viewing the newly-installed sculptures to touch them to enjoy an additional aspect of the “very tactile” works.

The expert who previously displayed German and international art at Die Galerie in Seoul’s Sangam-dong said that Koreans had been receptive to the sculptor in the past, with Hana Bank buying a large Klinge sculpture six years ago to display in its education center.

“Korea is the country where all the German orchestras come with great pleasure and the same thing is true with art. Paintings and sculptures from Germany are well received here,” he added, praising Korea for it’s vibrant art scene.

“This country is quite a lively country and this is one reason I like Korea very much. I must say some of our countries in the EU do sleep at the moment in my opinion, including Germany.”

He said that Korea and other Asian countries were now moving at a faster pace than Europe.

“These are the countries which are running. The same happens with the art market, this art market is very, very active.”

He pointed to Seoul’s numerous international art galleries and big collectors as evidence of the buzzing Korean scene, adding that he would be bringing German art to fairs around Asia including the Korea International Art Fair next year.

“We have realized that the European countries will have some difficulties over the years and we are going toward the east,” he said. “Some of the Korean galleries are really dealing big money. There are some big collectors in this country and this is a very rich country.”

By Kirsty Taylor (kirstyt@heraldcorp.com)