Paintings by famous North Korean artists are reportedly for sale at an art zone in Beijing, in what appears to be part of a broader strategy to earn foreign currency.
“Paintings by North Korean artists are being sold at the ‘Korea Traditional Arts Center’ in Beijing’s 789 Art Zone [also referred to as the Dashanzi Art District],” said a Daily NK source based in China on August 29.
“The prices depend on who painted it, but those painted by ordinary artists go for around 3,000 yuan per painting (around US $440), while those by famous artists go for up to 100,000 yuan (around $14,600).”
The 789 Art Zone is located in the Dashanzi area of Beijing’s north east, and is a famous street for art sellers that draws large numbers of both art lovers and regular tourists. The Dashanzi area used to be full of factories that manufactured military supplies with the support of aid from the Soviet Union in the 1950s, but was taken over by artists in the early 2000s to become the biggest arts district in the country.
The Korea Traditional Arts Center is located in the center of this art district and displays portraits, landscapes, and other types of paintings. Visitors can also buy custom-made paintings, according to the source.
“There were no North Korean paintings for sale in the 789 Arts Zone just two years ago,” said a separate source in China who also recently visited the Korea Traditional Arts Center.
“Many people in China are now becoming interested in premium handicrafts and works of art, so North Korea seems to be trying to profit from the trend.”
The Korea Traditional Arts Center is affiliated with the North Korean Ministry of Culture’s “Traditional Art Cooperative Enterprise” and primarily conducts activities related to cultural arts and foreign exchanges. The “Traditional Art Cooperative Enterprise” is known to be one of the major state-run enterprises focused on North Korean overseas trade, which has led experts to believe that North Korea is actively using its artists to earn foreign currency.
Daily NK last month reported that paintings by famous North Korean artists were being displayed at the China-North Korea Cultural Center in Dandong, Liaoning Province, on the Sino-DPRK border. Some of these paintings were being sold at exorbitant prices.
In regards to the sale of high-priced North Korean art in China, the Daily NK’s source for the story also reported at the time that “Traders are taking advantage of the fact that North Korean art is not subject to [some sets of] sanctions targeting the country and are using it to earn foreign-currency. Works by famous painters fetch high prices, so many traders are looking to the visual arts for this reason.”
The Korea Traditional Arts Center’s website has profiles of North Korean artists and describes some of their paintings. The website also offers a custom art service and runs an online customer call centre open from 9 am to 6 pm KST.
