A Seoul-Ful Celebration of K-Art: Four Seasons Hotel Seoul Partners with Gallery Mondeouvert for an Autumn of Creativity

This autumn, Four Seasons Hotel Seoul partners with local art hub Gallery Mondeouvert to showcase Timeless Art, Passion at Heart: a celebration of Korean art. From August 29 to mid-November 2024, the Hotel will host a series of events as part of the collaboration, including an in-Hotel art exhibition with paintings inspired by Korea through nature’s four seasons, artfully echoed in flower design by floral artist Nicolai Bergmann. Guests can also enjoy a wine and art auction dinner at Italian restaurant Boccalino, and a seminar on contemporary Korean art for Hotel guests.

Just a short walk from the Hotel, Gallery Mondeouvert opened in 2020 with a focus on contemporary art forms such as painting, sculpture, and photography. Six artists have been carefully selected by the gallery to display their artwork at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, four expressing a different season and colour scheme each, and two exploring other natural themes through art installations. Guests can enjoy all artworks throughout the Hotel, including in the gym areas, spa and executive club lounge.

Hee-kyung Jeon’s improvised and abstract brushstrokes and a palette of yellow and green encompass spring’s vibrancy, while Sang-woon Nam uses a process of repeatedly mixing, drying and repainting the canvas to cultivate a richly expressive blue for summer’s moon-inspired lotus flowers. Vibrant reds set the tone of Se-hyun Lee’s vast oil paintings, conveying autumn through landscapes of the mountains and islands of Korea. Renowned artist Young-wook Choi paints Korea's historic Joseon-era moon jar in tones of cool white for an expression of winter.

Elsewhere in the Hotel, Mind Landscape by Hyunjin Yoon is a three-dimensional representation of an oriental sanshou painting that uses black ebony wood to create layers of mountainous depth.  Designed to move in a breeze, Sangyong Lee’s Flying Whale is a wooden kinetic artwork exploring the legendary autumn migration of “ocean guardian” humpback whales.

At the lobby, each four-seasons-themed artwork includes creativity from world-renowned flower artist Nicolai Bergmann, creating one-of-a-kind art pieces that merge painting and flower design. Elegantly responding to the artwork’s themes and colours, Nicolai uses spring grass and flowers to express spring’s arrival and beautiful blue petals to convey lotus leaves spreading across the water’s surface. A profusion of red petals signifies autumn, with the three-dimensionality of the flowers juxtaposing the flat surfaces of the painting, while his winter design features flowers arranged as if they are placed in a moon jar within a white world.

Those interested in starting or adding to a collection in K-art can head to the Hotel’s Italian restaurant Boccalino on Thursday, September 12, 2024 for the Art Dining. An elegant five-course meal with wine pairing themed under four seasons and art is artfully complemented with an auction of The Four Seasons of Korea paintings. Guests attending will be among the first to experience Boccalino’s refreshed culinary experiences before its official relaunch on September 16, 2024, while a portion of the sales from the auction will be donated to the local organisation supporting young people’s art activities.

Hotel guests whose curiosity has been piqued by Seoul’s vibrant art scene can enjoy an exclusive Art Seminar on September 14 and October 3, 2024. A paid event available to visitors staying in the Hotel only, the insightful experience includes a talk on contemporary art in Korea as well as an in-Hotel guided tour with an art professional. As places are limited, online booking is essential.

The Hotel’s art collaboration echoes a wider cultural celebration across the Korean capital. An exciting time to immerse in the city’s burgeoning art scene, September 2024 sees the city play host to the third annual Frieze Seoul, a leading international art fair featuring more than 110 of the most influential art galleries from across Asia and beyond, as well as Korea's first and the longest international art fair, Kiaf Seoul, which opened in 2002. Recognising the rapid growth of Seoul as a global art hotspot, the aim of the collaboration is for Four Seasons Hotel Seoul to support local artists and celebrate K-art while providing elevated experiences for Korean and global guests alike.

For reservations, call 02-6388-5000 or click here.