Chapter 35: Private Auction in the U.S. (1)

“You want to excavate? You probably don’t plan on becoming a researcher in our gallery… do you want me to make you an excavation agent? Or do you want to build a gallery?”

Not anyone can participate in an excavation in Korea. Only the agencies that specialize in the excavation of buried artifacts can, it also means that the agencies belong to museums or have gotten the permission from each local government.

“I want to build an art museum. It is a little funny to say this as I have nothing yet, but it is my dream to have a big art museum named after me.”

“Oh… that is not funny at all. It is cool. Hmm… then, you need to find a place to use as an art museum. You will also have to prepare the artifacts to exhibit.”

“I need your help for the administrative parts. I will also appreciate it if you could introduce me to a talented curator who’s looking for a job.”

You might think it was weird to ask for Eunhae’s help when building an art museum when she, herself, had her own gallery. However, galleries and art museums were not convenience stores or supermarkets. It’s not like if the clients buy from here, they won’t buy from other places.

As artifacts are not merchandises produced from factories, more galleries would bring diversity, and more people would come to Insadong and Bukcheon. So, Haejin was asking comfortably, and Eunhae was not feeling bad.

“Good. It’s not that hard. If you come to the U.S., I will find you a good place for your art museum. You have probably earned a lot this time, but you must know it won’t be enough to find a really good place.”

“Of course. I don’t have much to exhibit, so starting at a big place would be hilarious. Oh, you can book me an economy class, but please let me stay at a good hotel. One with a great breakfast.”

“Haha, I cannot let you go in first class, but I will book you a business class. The hotel will be a five- star, of course, so don’t worry. You will have to depart two days later, so take some rest tomorrow.”

As Eunhae said, Haejin spent a day doing nothing at home and then went to Incheon Airport. There was good news in the meantime. The white porcelain he had entrusted would be on auction next month.

He had planned to sell all the white porcelains he had, but now that he changed his mind, this would be the first and the last time he would sell porcelain on auction.

“You came early.”

Haejin arrived at the airport where Eunhae greeted him in comfortable clothes.

“You are going with me?”

“Or what? Were you going to go alone? You cannot go in there without me. My face is my ID card. When we get there, we will probably see Yaerin.”

“Oh… do I have to see that bloody war again?”

“Hahaha, she can’t do that there. People usually think westerners are open, but rich families are conservative beyond your imagination. If they think she is a talkative and a rude woman, they might exclude her from the auction, so we pretend to not know each other there.”

“That’s a relief.”

The long flight wasn’t that hard, maybe because there was a beautiful woman with Haejin. They arrived at LA Airport early in the morning, got some rest at the hotel and left after 5 p.m.

Eunhae was wearing a neat suit and her hair was also in a neat style. That made Haejin wonder what kind of people they were about to meet. She was being so careful.

“You must be wondering where we are going now.”

While Eunhae was driving, she smiled and asked.

“I was thinking about that… you can really read people’s mind. You would earn a lot if you started gambling.”

“That’s not it. I was so curious when I went to this auction for the first time. My grandfather brought me there, and although he usually wore simple a hanbok (traditional Korean clothes) and liked to joke, he was wearing a suit and never smiled. So, how could I not be curious?”

“Then, when did this auction start?”

“I’m not sure, but less than forty years.”

“Wow… that’s very short.”

“It is, but there is a good reason. As you know, the U.S. doesn’t have a proper history, unlike Europe. It started by kicking out the Native American who had been living well and building a country through the American Revolution. You know that movie? National Treasure, it was a blockbuster movie about finding hidden treasures. In it, the document had a hint about the treasure in the Declaration of Independence which is barely over 200 years old.”

“So?”

“Money isn’t the only reason the U.S. has grown so much. The country has built museums and galleries here and there to provide a mentally fertile soil to its students. So that they would be able to see them and come up with various thoughts and imaginations. The biggest difference between a criminals’ childhood and that of elites like doctors and attorneys is ‘whether they experienced a mental stimulation from museums and galleries’.”

“Hmm… that makes sense.”

“The problem was that after 1980, each country in Europe started to prohibit the export of artifacts. You said your uncle was a grave robber. Has he worked in Europe?”

“No, not in that area…”

Haejin’s father never worked in Europe, either. There was no special reason. It’s just that the structure of the tombs and the location of the artifacts were different from Asia.

He could if he wanted, but problems could occur when selling them, and he couldn’t talk to sellers unless it was an English-speaking country, so he just gave up.

“Grave robbing is a serious problem in Europe as well. Countries like Italy and France started to stop the export of the artifacts, so getting antiques in the normal ways became hard for American museums and galleries.”

Haejin did think that it might be the case, and he was right. While they could buy artifacts at Sotheby’s or Christie’s, they were not doing that and were going for a private auction instead. It meant the artifacts on auction weren’t brought in the normal ways.

“I see.”

“Once, the Metropolitan worked with a grave robber and tried to smuggle Italian ceramics and was busted. Anyway, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a worldwide war for artifacts is going on now.”

“Then, is the place we are going today for stolen goods?”

Haejin was worried while Eunhae laughed.

“Hahaha! No. It used to be but, after 2000, buying stolen goods became too dangerous. The people who come to this place have a high social status, so they would be in trouble if they bought stolen artifacts. These say, umm… what should I say? Not stolen goods, but not that clean?”

“Huh? What is that supposed to mean? It’s like ‘I drank, but I didn’t drive while I was drunk’.”

“Phaaa! Is it? Then how about this? Artifacts with information about the original owners. So, there would be no trouble with buying them and bringing them here. How’s that?”

“Oh… I guess the host is very powerful?”

Eunhae snapped her fingers.

“You are smart. Anyway, let’s hope we get something good today. This event happens only about once a year.”

“Okay.”

Haejin had no reason to feel bad about artifacts with no legal problems. He comfortably enjoyed Eunhae’s driving. After two hours, the car left the asphalt road and went into a dirt road.

They still had to go for a long while. When they finally arrived, they saw a huge mansion that didn’t seem to belong there. Expensive cars were parked in front of it… the guards in black suits at the entrance didn’t look very kind.

“Shall we go?”

Eunhae got off from her car and Haejin followed her. She showed the guards her invitation. The guards looked at it and her face, then let her pass.

Haejin had been worried a little that they might not let him in, but they slightly smiled and let him pass.

He was relieved.

“Don’t get too nervous. Once we are identified, they are quite gentle. Bringing one or two for appraisal is no problem.”

“But what if they let someone with troubles and things go wrong later?”

“Then, the person who brought him or her won’t be able to participate in this meeting ever again. I told you. They sell things without any legal problems… I have been participating for more than 10 years, and there hasn’t been any problem.”

“Oh…”

They went in. The interior was different from ordinary houses. There was no furniture such as a bookshelf. Only a table, big enough for dozens, and some chairs filled the room.

There were already many people. They were mostly whites, but there were a few blacks and some Asians.

“You’re here.”

Eunhae went to Yaerin who was sitting in a corner with her arms crossed. She lifted her head to look at Eunhae, then turned to Haejin.

“Yes, and I am seeing him again. I heard he bought a fake on purpose to capture the forgers… your uncle was going to buy that painting, right. You would have been on the news.”

“Don’t do that. If you want to leave, leave alone.”

Eunhae was smiling, but her voice was firm.

“Oh, sorry. Anyway…”

Yaerin coolly apologized and went on, but the host finally appeared at front. He opened his mouth with a cold face.

“Nice to have you all here. There are four paintings ready today. They will be engraved in your souls. I am very honored to introduce these paintings to you today.”

He cleared his throat and went on.

“Today we have two paintings by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, one by Pierre Auguste Renoir, and one by Edgar Degas. I am very excited today. How much value would these precious and beautiful legacies of humanity be acknowledged by you?”

Then, Eunhae whispered in a very small voice.

“The only problem in this auction is that you cannot protest even if the painting you bought turns out to be fake.”

Haejin was confused. He also whispered.

“Then, why would they buy paintings here?”

“This is the only place where you can buy those paintings legally. Of course, you can buy a Rembrandt or a Degas in Sotheby’s or Christie’s. However, they have only a few paintings. Those paintings have been bought in the normal way. It means…”

“You can buy perfectly washed paintings only here.”

“Yes. So, people here are willing to take that risk.”

So many people wanted paintings by Picasso or Van Gogh. However, most of those paintings were already in museums and galleries around the world. So, it was inevitable that the war to get the few legal paintings left would happen.

There was a reason for the rich collectors to come here.

“Wow… that’s impressive.”

“When an artifact turns out to be a fake and the buyer protests, they always say the same thing, ‘We do not appraise the authenticity. We sold it because it is a great work of art, and the buyer should judge.’ That is what most appraising agencies and auction agencies would say, it is just in a more straightforward way.”

In most cases, appraising agencies don’t take the responsibility when something they sold turns out to be fake.

As appraisers are humans as well, they can make mistakes. If the fake often has a considerable quality to it that makes people think it is real, the court would help the auction agency.

Additionally, even though an artifact is suspected to be fake, experts often cannot be 100% sure of that, even after going through a scientific test. Fakes of high qualities are not called works of art on their own for nothing.

Finally, the auctioneer carefully removed the cover.

“Painting of Rembrandt van Rijn, the artist of light.”

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