미술품 시가감정 운영현황과 발전방안 연구 = South Korea’s Current Art Appraisal System and Suggestions for Improvement

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In South Korea, a reconsideration of how artwork is perceived is currently underway, bolstered by a situation of stratospheric selling prices, the large-scale donation of works from the collection of the late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, and the Kansong Art Museum’s decision to sell off items of National Treasure caliber. The South Korean government has instituted a tax-in-kind system for artwork through an amendment of the Inheritance Tax Act, while making clear its intention to foster the art appraisal business as part of the art industry with the 2024 introduction of the Art Promotion Act. These social, cultural, and institutional changes have led to calls for a more equitable and transparent art appraisal system, and active discussions have been taking place toward the establishment of a more standardized version of this system, which in the past has customarily operated according to art world needs.
Within the two realms of art appraisal and authentication, this study focuses on appraisal as an area where discussions have been initiated based on the perception of artwork as an object of asset value assessment for purposes such as taxation, asset valuation, collateral selection, insurance, inheritance, asset division, and account settlement. The scope of art appraisal has extended beyond assessments of value for the purpose of secondary art market transactions. For the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s and other administrative institutions’ art appraisal industry fostering efforts to bear fruit, an understanding of the current appraisal management system and its conditions is of vital importance. Accordingly, this study examines the status and problem areas of the current art appraisal system in South Korea and discusses how appraisal is defined within the framework of the newly enacted Art Promotion Act. On this basis, it discusses the immediate issues to be resolved and directions for development in order to establish a reputable art appraisal system.