Three Korean business leaders named on ARTnews list of world's top 200 art collectors
In short
US art magazine ARTnews on October 6 (local time) named Samsung C&T President Lee Seo-hyun (이서현), Global Sae-A (글로벌세아) Group Chairman Kim Woong-ki (김웅기) and Amorepacific Group Chairman Suh Kyung-bae (서경배) among the world's top 200 art collectors. Kim and Suh have been on the list for five consecutive years since 2022 and Lee for a second year, Korean outlets reported. The 2026 list also includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
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US art magazine ARTnews on October 6 (local time) published its 2026 list of the world's top 200 art collectors, naming three Korea-based business leaders: Samsung C&T President Lee Seo-hyun (이서현), Global Sae-A (글로벌세아) Group Chairman Kim Woong-ki (김웅기) and Amorepacific Group Chairman Suh Kyung-bae (서경배). ARTnews has published the list every year since 1990. This year's list also includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Asia Economy and Korea Economic Daily reported that Kim and Suh have been on the list for five consecutive years since 2022, and Lee for a second year after first appearing last year. ARTnews described Lee as a collector continuing the collecting of her father, the late former Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee. She chairs the Samsung Welfare Foundation. Kyunghyang Shinmun and Korea Economic Daily describe her as chair of the Leeum Museum's (리움미술관) operating committee, while Seoul Economic Daily and Maeil Business report ARTnews as saying she leads the museum's advisory committee and estimating her net worth at over $5.1 billion (about 6.8 trillion won). Korea Economic Daily said Lee Kun-hee, who died in 2020, left about 20,000 works, many of which were donated to seven Korean museums. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
ARTnews cited Kim as the buyer of Kim Whan-ki's (김환기) 1971 work 'Universe' (05-IV-71 #200), the highest-priced Korean artwork at auction. It sold at Christie's Hong Kong in 2019 for about 13.2 billion won at the exchange rate then; Kyunghyang Shinmun and Asia Economy said that figure excludes fees, and Asia Economy put the final price including fees at HK$101,955,000. Kim also collects major modern Korean works and works by Yayoi Kusama. Global Sae-A runs an exhibition space in Seoul's Gangnam district, opened in 2022 as S2A and now called Global Sae-A Art Space. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
ARTnews described Suh as promoting Korean art and culture through Amorepacific, and Korea Economic Daily reported that ARTnews quoted him as saying Amorepacific does not just sell cosmetics but spreads culture. Amorepacific set up a museum in 1979 to research and exhibit Korean art, and from 2011 gave the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) $200,000 a year for five years to buy Korean contemporary art. Asia Economy put the total at $1 million. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
New York-based Korean-American collector Lee Mi-young (이미영) and her husband Neil Simpkins are also on the list; Korea Economic Daily said it is their third consecutive year. Outlets differ on her role at the Whitney Museum: Asia Economy says she is currently vice chair of its board, Seoul Economic Daily and Maeil Business say ARTnews reported she has served as vice chair, and Kyunghyang Shinmun says she is active on the board. Other names on this year's list include BlackRock Chairman Larry Fink, the Walton family and director George Lucas and his wife, while Korea Economic Daily said Taiwanese singer Jay Chou and US artist KAWS are new this year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The list, published by ARTnews every year since 1990, puts the three Korea-based collectors alongside figures such as Jeff Bezos and Bernard Arnault. Korean business outlets used the selection to highlight each collector's museum and art-support activities, from the Leeum Museum to Amorepacific's funding for LACMA.
Key facts
- ARTnews published its 2026 list of the world's top 200 art collectors on October 6, local time. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Lee Seo-hyun, Kim Woong-ki and Suh Kyung-bae are the Korea-based collectors on the list. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Kim and Suh have been named for five consecutive years since 2022; Lee for a second consecutive year after first appearing last year. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Kim bought Kim Whan-ki's (김환기) 'Universe' (05-IV-71 #200), which sold at Christie's Hong Kong in 2019 for about 13.2 billion won at the exchange rate then. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Amorepacific gave LACMA $200,000 a year for five years from 2011 to buy Korean contemporary art. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- New York-based Korean-American collector Lee Mi-young (이미영) and her husband Neil Simpkins are also on the list. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- ARTnews has published the list every year since 1990. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Lee Seo-hyun, Kim Woong-ki and Suh Kyung-bae were named on ARTnews's list of the world's top 200 art collectors, released on October 6 local time. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Kim and Suh have been on the list for five straight years since 2022, and Lee for two straight years. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Kim Whan-ki's 'Universe', owned by Kim Woong-ki, sold at Christie's Hong Kong in 2019 for about 13.2 billion won. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Lee Seo-hyun chairs the Samsung Welfare Foundation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Amorepacific supported LACMA's purchases of Korean contemporary art with $200,000 a year for five years from 2011. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Jeff Bezos is also on this year's list. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- Lee Mi-young's current role at the Whitney Museum. Asia Economy says she is currently vice chair of the board; Seoul Economic Daily and Maeil Business say ARTnews reported she has served as vice chair; Kyunghyang Shinmun says only that she is active on the board.
- Lee Seo-hyun's role at the Leeum Museum. Kyunghyang Shinmun and Korea Economic Daily call her chair of the operating committee, while Seoul Economic Daily and Maeil Business report ARTnews as saying she leads its advisory committee.
- Lee Seo-hyun's estimated net worth of over $5.1 billion. Reported by Seoul Economic Daily and Maeil Business as an ARTnews estimate; other outlets do not mention it.
- Whether Lee Mi-young and Neil Simpkins are on the list for a third straight year. Only Korea Economic Daily reports this.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- October 7: Kyunghyang Shinmun reports the three Korean collectors' selection. [ 1 ]
- October 7: Asia Economy reports the selection and each collector's area of collecting. [ 2 ]
- October 8: Seoul Economic Daily reports the list, including ARTnews's estimate of Lee Seo-hyun's net worth. [ 3 ]
- October 8: Korea Economic Daily reports the list and its new entries. [ 4 ]
- October 9: Maeil Business reports the selection. [ 5 ]