Lim Yeon-ah, Phillips' newly appointed regional director of Korea / Courtesy of Phillips
Phillips, one of the leading global auction houses alongside Christie's and Sotheby's, has appointed Lim Yeon-ah as the new regional representative of Korea.
Founded in 1796 in Westminster, London, Phillips focuses on sales in a select number of categories: 20th- and 21st-century art, design, photographs, editions, watches and jewelry.
The auction company, which opened a regional office in the Hannam-dong neighborhood of Seoul in 2018, noted that transactions in global auctions from Korean collectors have risen by 341 percent since it established its footprint in the country.
Over the last two years, in time for Frieze Seoul in September, it has hosted pop-up group exhibitions in the city – “New Romantics” in 2022 and “Briefly Gorgeous” this year, the latter of which put the works of established masters like Alexander Calder and David Hockney in dialogue with those of emerging creatives.
“The arts scene in South Korea is thriving, and it is indeed one of the world's fastest-growing art markets,” said Robert Sleigh, Phillips' managing director for Asia, in a statement. “Yeon-ah has helped usher in a period of Phillips' tremendous growth in South Korea, most notably taking on a leadership role for our corresponding exhibition during Frieze Seoul.”
Lim, with over a decade of experience in the art industry in both Seoul and New York, noted the art and luxury market here has undergone a dramatic growth in recent years, vowing to leverage her expertise and understanding of the market dynamics to further enhance Phillips' presence and influence in Korea.
“The larger-scale pop-up exhibition held in Seoul during the art week this year reaffirmed our commitment to further developing the Korean market in support of Phillips' Asia growth," Lim said.
Prior to joining Phillips in 2020, Lim served as a senior curator for Arumjigi Culture Keepers Foundation in Seoul.
She has also previously held posts at Do Ho Suh Studio, Museum of the City of New York, Leeum Museum of Art and Daelim Museum.