Hong Gyu Shin Brings Personal Collection to KAIST Art Museum

Hong Gyu Shin, born in 1990, bought his first artwork at age 13 and opened Shin Gallery at 23. His collection of over 1,000 works includes pieces by Picasso, van Gogh, Marina Abramović, Sam Francis, Eugène Delacroix, and Duchamp, many on loan to MoMA, the Frick Collection, and the Rose Art Museum. From April 29, Shin presents his collection at KAIST Art Museum in Daejeon, South Korea, recreating his apartment and archive as an unconventional self-portrait. Shin describes his approach as a Wunderkammer with soul, juxtaposing works across eras—such as an 18th-century Boucher drawing with a Hans Bellmer sculpture, or Tracey Emin with David Drake—to challenge art historical hierarchies. He sees his role as questioning the system and giving visibility to marginalized artists. Shin also plans a hybrid memoir-manifesto photo diary and promises more radical exhibitions that aim to rewrite the rules of art history.