하단에 국문 콘텐츠가 있습니다.
Korean-English translation by Yerim Choi
Kyeong-bae Suh(1963-), the CEO of Amore Pacific, believes that he is more than just his occupations. Suh believes that through his company, he will be able to sell “culture.” Being the 12th overall cosmetics brand, his motivation is to create and sell the culture of beauty globally, and he thinks of his cosmetics as an outlet to do so. Being extremely intrigued with art, he would spend time during the weekend exploring and discovering new outlets of art, such as fine art, architecture, literature, and music. He especially is captivated by the idea of 'space,” for he believes that the human psyche is influenced by the area in which it is in. He enjoys going to unique spaces, such as SALK Laboratory in San Diego by Louis Khan.
Seo's favorite phrase is a korean saying: “There is an infinite sky besides the visible sky.” As the saying goes, he enjoys imagination and challenge and he is fascinated by the art that reveals the 'invisible world' as well as the visible world in front of one's eyes. Suh succeeded his father SuhSung-hwan (1924-2003), founder of Amore Pacific, by also collecting art and carrying out cultural projects. The prior chairman helped his mother, Yoon Dok-jeong, make came down to Seoul in 1945 to establish Pacific Chemistry. Taking over the diligence of the Kaesong merchant, his father, who was a huge success with modern cosmetics, bought toiletries, jewelry and court decorations. He was then stimulated by his 40-day business trip to Europe and created the Pacific Museum in 1979. It was the second corporate museum after Handok.
The prior chairman also collected paintings of Joseon Dynasty painters Lee In-moon, Kim Soo-chul's paintings and Chun Kyung-ja. Suh also purchased a number of abstract paintings by Kim Hwan-ki and Chung Sang-hwa, but only a few people recognized them as compared to now. The son, who was watching his father's collection, also began to collect paintings when serving as a manager. If his father focused on ancient and modern art, his son expanded his spectrum to modern art. Chairman SuhKyung-bae, who had gathered the fras and LPs when he was a boy, fell in love with books after he entered Yonsei University's business department. He read history, literature, music, and art books as well as major books. Believing that 'all the answers are in the book,' he not only read the book, but he put a separate note for extra details or summaries. He also gives books as gifts occasionally, and his go-to is usually Power of Art by Simon Shama. Gallery Hyundai CEO Do Hyung-tae, who has had a close relationship with Suh for 20 years, said, 'It is very welcome to get and deliver the works of artists from abroad. Once I handed over Gerhard Richter's book, and a few months later, he asked me what it was about. I was surprised,' he said. In other words, he is a serious collector.
Suh often states that if he were not to step in the business field, he probably would have been an art critic, which is known for being quite peculiar, given his rather-romantic outlook. As soon as he finished his MBA at Cornell University, he joined the Pacific, harshly organizing the sprawling affiliate and all-in for cosmetics. When he took office as president in 1997, he was still in crisis, but overcame the crisis with R&D and globalization. Then Amore Pacific's sales and operating profit increased 10 times and almost 21 times in the first 20 years. Exports, which stood at 9.4 billion won (1996 billion U.S. dollars) in 1999, increased 181 times to 1.66 trillion won). The key was in R&D and quality innovation. As a result, the company invested in R&D by creating a new development agency in Yonging. In response, Chairman Suh personally inspected outstanding architecture in various parts of the country. In 2010, Meezium, a 26,000-square-meter high-tech research complex, finally revealed a graceful figure under the guide of architect Alvaro Siza. It was accompanied by a large sculpture of Robert Indiana chosen by Suh himself, LOVE, and the Kinetic Art of Kuala Lumpur.
This year, Suh completed the construction of a 22-story and seven-basement-floor building of British architect David Chipperfield in Yongsan, Seoul. Chipperfield created a 'one beautiful object' with the uniqueness of Amore Pacific that doesn't exist anywhere in the forested downtown of the skyscraper. The single-volume structure, which is not vertically high or connected with several circles, features a white porcelain dalhang with motifs that provide a rich sense of beauty without the need for fancy techniques. In fact, there were many more colorful, more functional entries. Under the construction law, it could have been raised to the 30th floor, but some were disappointed when the 22nd floor was confirmed. Seo, however, chose the design of Chipperfield, so that the people could have a nature-centered environment.
The 3,300-square-meter space on the first floor of the shrine and the first basement floor has the AmorePacific Museum of Art. Cultural facilities have been located in the key places where banks and others will be located. Before its official opening, APMA held an exhibition titled 'The Beginning' (2.23-3.25), which will showcase its collection. It was the venue where the long-standing collection of Suh Sung-hwan and Suh Kyung-bae will be unveiled. Works spanned from ancient times to contemporaries, and paintings, sculptures, crafts, photographs, and media art were covered. In addition, there are many foreign contemporary art, which allowed them to savor Eastern and Western art. APMA has a total of 5,000 works including 4,000 pieces of ancient and modern art and 1,000 pieces of contemporary art, 120 of which were made public to gauge the context of the collection. Among the items collected were Goryeo Buddhist paintings (Suwol Gwaneum Do), Buncheong Sagi, and white porcelain moon jars, as well as wooden ornaments.
Being centered around Suh, modern art can be classified as: 'Beauty(radiancy), 'Women(feminism), and innovation(Advanced Media Art).' This stems from his company’s vision of pursuing women's beauty and placing emphasis on innovation and challenges. Among them are Basconcelos “Dorothy” is a high-heeled, 4.3-meter-wide pile of stainless steel pans. By giving a pot a new meaning and form, the author overthrew a traditional female figure clinging to cooking and other lyrics. Korean artist Lee Bul’s aerial sculpture expresses women's bodies in a dystopian way with various building materials, which makes them reflect on the femininity of modern times.
The next equivalent of 'Mi (beauty)' was reflected in Suh’s taste as the head of a beauty company. There were exceptionally many paintings that sparkled or glazed with glossy paintings and mirrors. Paintings using enamel glitters and glazed paint and installation art using light and metal are included in this category. Indian author Larkip Shaw's flat-screen work looked very colorful because of enamel resin and crystal, but the content was dark and violent, making it unusual. Greg Boggin, a smooth painting by Sarah Morris, “Fish” by Noh Sang-gyun, who has tens of thousands of sequins, and a painting by Giuseppe Penone, embodying black graffiti with graphite, ask, 'What is beauty today?'
Finally, the works of innovative novelty are on the same page. Raphael Rosano Hammer’s interactive art using plasma screens and Conrad Shockros' elaborate Kinetic work, which consists of metal networks and halogen lighting, are high-tech art that surpasses human perception. In addition, Leo Villarial's LED work “Cylinder” is a masterpiece that represents APMA, along with a grandiose work by Ruffden on the fifth floor. Other minimalist works by Donald Judd, Blair Sherman, Ugo Rondinone and American Pop Artists Couss “Companion” were also on the collection list. They also included videos of Moon Kyung-won, Jun Joon-ho and Douglas Gordon, as well as photos of Koo Bon-chang, Bae Byung-woo and Ryan Shudi. Because there are a variety of different works, it lacks unity and the distinction of notable work, especially that of Kwang-taek Ko.
Suh, who re-established the AmorePacific Museum in 2009, looked through the global art scene at the time and collected many works, including some exorbitant ones. He also featured research funds at the LA County Museum of Art and the British Museum. In response, 'Art News' of the U.S. named him the '200 Most Collectors of the World' in 2015 and 16. However, Suh, who has a kind and quiet personality, refuses to show up. In fact, after the collection was fully equipped, Jeon Seung-chang, the director of the museum, entrusted the staff of the museum to display and collect works. Now, the question lies on whether Amore Pacific can live up to the expectations that it had of Yongsan and its grandiose.