Lee Soyoung is Seoul-based art collector, who has been collecting art for more than 15 years and currently owns about 270 artworks. The 41-year-old is well known for her passion for art collecting, which she spread through lectures and talks that encourages especially new generation of art collectors in South Korea. She has degree in art history and art education and she is president of educational institution Big Fish Art and Joy Museum, a teaching institution for museums in South Korea.

Besides her career, she runs a place for art collectors called ‚Reart Collector‘ since 2018 in Seoul. It’s a place especially for new generation of art collectors and beginners.
‚Reart Collector‘ offers lectures in art history, seminars on gallery programs & art fairs/ art biennials and studies on artists. And the members share not only practical information about art collecting and trends in art market but also their passion for art.

What made you decide to set up a place for art collectors and what is the most helpful aspect for collectors that ‚Reart Collector‘ provides?

"Even 10 years ago, it was not common to have opportunities meeting younger generation of art collectors in Korea and sharing information with them. Because Korean art collectors in the past were more hesitant about sharing information and this led some dealers to offer artworks for above market price. (Nowadays, people get price information through online art marketplace such as Artsy, which provides pricing transparency.). I recognized a need of a place for art collectors, where people share information and also learn from each other’s experiences and a place for dialogues. With my background of academic degree in art history and art education, I give lectures and organize seminars with gallerists and art market experts. Improved knowledge in art history and expanded understanding of contemporary art enable you to comprehend better and it enriches enjoyment in art collecting. The topics of lectures at ‚Reart Collector‘ are such as, ‚Masters in art history and artists who were inspired by the masters’, ‚Canvas that transcend time, where primitive art and contemporary artists of primitivism (Naïve Art) meet‘. I constantly try to create/develop new topics but interestingly there is a roster of artists, who are repeatedly mentioned in diverse themes."

About 60% of your collection consists of especially Korean artists at your age, born in 80s and 90s. Would you please introduce some of the artists in your collection?

"Lee Eunsae depicts resistant figures in Korean society with a unique aesthetic and marginal victims are illustrated as leading and independent figure on her canvas."

"Ryu Noah paints exclusively in a traditional way of painting and he recently presented by Hilma af Klint and Andrew Wyeth inspired new works in his latest show."

"And I steadily acquire sculptures by young Korean artists such as Jong Oh, who creates Minimalist sculptures and Shin Min, who creates paper mache sculptures after explioted female blue-collar worker made by McDonald’s paper bag.
And I also have Hyunnahm’s sculpture in my collection, whose work is reminiscent of the miniascape, down scale model of city’s landscape made by industrial materials such as cement, latex, epoxy and polystyrene. He criticizes modern landscape through his works.

And I also own Woo Hannah’s metaphorical sculpture, which depicts female body made by fabrics."

Would you mention one of your favorite art movement or favorite periods in art history?

"I am especially interested in abstract women artists such as Joan Mitchell (1925– 1992), Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) and also in underestimated female artists in Light and Space Movement. I acquired two pieces of Helen Pashgian, whom I admire. Furthermore, I am also interested in Post-minimalism artists and artists, who deal with Space by Minimalism approach such as Ann Veronica Janssens, whose work I acquired and it is installed currently in my living room. And I also like Outsider Art by academically untrained or semi-professional artists such as street artist Purvis Young, a self-taught/blind artist Hawkins Bolden and Anna (Grandma) Moses, on whom I wrote and published a book in Korea. And I also published a book on artists in Outsider Art called ‚Art museum pulled out of a drawer‘.

Would you categorize artworks in your collection?

"- Korean artists born in 80s and 90s
- Underestimated or forgotten female artists
- Post-minimalism and its installation works
- Artists in Outsider Art"

Would you share your recent acquisitions?

"- A painting by Kim Yun Shin(born in 1935), who was rather unknown for a long time but got attention recently by her solo exhibition at Seoul Museum of Art in 2023 and also through her participation in 60th Venice Biennale this year. I recently could get a chance to visit her studio personally.
- A sphere sculpture of Helen Pashgian. Once I visited her studio in LA and I was very impressed by her passion and vitality in her old age. In my opinion, her Œuvre is still underestimated.
- Three Paintings by Hanna Jo, which I acquired at Frieze Seoul this year. I was fascinated by Hannah Jo’s works at first sight without having any prior knowledge about her works. This young Korean artist surveys anatomy through her abstract paintings.
- Two sculptures by Shin Min, the Korean artist mentioned above."

Which artwork in your collection is currently on loan and where is it on view?

"- A painting by Pam Evelyn is borrowed by Burberry Art Space in Seoul for the show ‚A New British Modernity‘ (October 3 – November 10, 2024).
- Works by Mandy El-Sayegh, Yuko Mohri, Woo Hannah, Hyunnahm, Helen Pashigian, David Alekhuogie and Young Joon Kwak are lent to Koo House Museum for a showcase of seven young collectors’ art collections."

You encourage art collectors to donate artwork to museums for example by sharing donation process which enables private collection accessible to a broad public. Would you share your latest donation and name the institutions?

"I donated a sculpture of Hyunnahm to Seoul Museum of Art this year and a sculpture of Haneyl Choi to Daegu Art Museum last year."