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Collectors' collective: Private art enthusiasts work together to bring world-renowned artists to Daejeon

Published: 22 Apr. 2026, 14:24

Two visitors observe an artwork in Heredium, an art gallery in Dong District, Daejeon. [HEREDIUM]

Fourteen Korean collectors have pooled their resources to assemble works by world-renowned artists under one roof in Daejeon, a city approximately 140 km (87 miles) away from Seoul.

Works by artists including Le Corbusier (1887—1965), Robert Longo, Olafur Eliasson, David Hockney, Yang Hae-gue, Anicka Yi and Choi Byung-so are on display at Heredium, a multidisciplinary cultural complex, as part of the exhibition “Tracing the Unfinished” slated to run through April 26.

It is the first exhibition in Korea over nearly a decade to showcase a collection built jointly by multiple collectors.

The show brings together 30 works, including 14 jointly owned pieces by the collector group Arche II, which was formed in 2017 by business leaders such as heads of construction firms, securities companies, accounting firms and hospitals. The group grew out of a study circle that had explored architecture and culture together since the mid-2010s.

Han Song-yee, the leader of Arche II, an art collector group [HEREDIUM]

The group's leader, Han Song-yee, is a radiologist with her own practice, Dr. Han’s Breast Clinic, in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. Another member, Hwang In-kyu, chairman of Cncity Energy and a former prosecutor, the owner of the venue, provided the exhibition venue.

Heredium is housed in the former Daejeon office of the colonial-era Oriental Development Company, built in 1922. Hwang renovated and restored the site before reopening it as a cultural and arts space in 2023.

“Members have each collected art while running their own businesses,” Hwang said. “Collecting as a group has been a new experience that allows a deeper engagement with art.”

The group contributes a fixed annual amount to a shared budget. At major domestic and international art fairs, members select potential works, discuss them and purchase three to five pieces at a time.

A watercolor on paper from 2015 by Miriam Cahn. [HEREDIUM]

“When collecting individually, there is a tendency to be led by galleries,” Han said. “A joint collection allows a more independent and proactive approach through collective judgment.”

Their model is La Peau de l’Ours, the world's first collector group founded in 1904 by André Level, which supported emerging artists before auctioning 145 works in 1914. Their collection included works by Pablo Picasso (1881—1973), Henri Matisse (1869—1954) and Paul Gauguin (1848—1903).

Arche II has also focused on discovering emerging artists rather than acquiring established names. Artists whose works are in the collection include Miriam Cahn, Anthony Caro (1924—2013), David Altmejd, He Xiangyu and Hans Hartung (1904—89).

“Our goal is not to buy expensive works by already well-known artists and sell them for higher prices,” Han said. “We choose works that are not obvious but which we believe will gain greater recognition over time.”

“Members do not always agree,” Hwang said. “There were times I argued against purchasing a work I didn’t like, but I was eventually persuaded. Now I like it more than anyone else.”

Heredium in Dong District, Daejeon, which used to be one of the branches for the Oriental Development Company during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule [HEREDIUM]

The group also worked with a France-based contemporary art consultant, Park Eun-joo, during the process.

While acknowledging that a joint collection is still “an expensive way to learn,” Han said, “The more you invest, the more you gain in understanding. Even buying a small work of art helps develop both insight and perspective.”

Two members are currently preparing to establish private museums in Jeju and Yangyang County, Gangwon.

“We wanted to show that even without a large budget, people can learn and enjoy art together,” Han said. “We hope more collector groups of various sizes will emerge.”

The group is also considering eventually putting the collection on the secondary market, following the model of La Peau de l’Ours.

“We are considering lots of options, though no decision has been made,” said Han.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE EUN-JOO [[email protected]]