Tina Kim: the Role of the Art Dealer

Written by Elva Zhang, Visual Arts Administration, ‘25

On Friday, May 16, 2025, VAA students and alums gathered at Tina Kim Gallery in Chelsea for a Distinguished VAA Alumni talk with Tina Kim, a 1998 graduate. Surrounded by works from The Making of Modern Korean Art: The Letters of Kim Tschang-Yeul, Kim Whanki, Lee Ufan, and Park Seo-Bo, 1961–1982, Tina spoke about her career, her commitment to Korean modern and contemporary art, and the lessons she has learned along the way. The exhibition—five years in the making—presented decades of correspondence between four key figures in Korean modernism with a meticulously researched timeline.

Tina’s work on the show extends a legacy that began a decade earlier, when she co-organized a landmark presentation of Dansaekhwa, a radical form of abstract painting that emerged in the post–World War II era, at the 2015 Venice Biennale. That exhibition reframed the movement not as a derivation of Western minimalism, but as a deeply political and gestural response to Korea’s turbulent 20th century—marked by Japanese occupation, war, and military dictatorship. It also helped pave the way for the Guggenheim Museum’s 2023 exhibition Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s–1970s, which brought wider institutional recognition to Korean modernism. Tina was raised in an art-centered household, with her mother, Hyun-Sook Lee, establishing Kukje Gallery in 1982. A few years after earning a business degree from Pepperdine University, she decided to move to New York to study Visual Arts Administration at NYU and complete a certificate program at Christie’s.

During her time at VAA, she immersed herself in different corners of the art world through internships at Paula Cooper Gallery, the Whitney Museum’s education department, and Sotheby’s. These roles clarified her path. “As much as I was brought up in the art gallery family, I wasn’t sure I wanted to work in a gallery,” she recalled. “Museum work felt too large-scale, and the auction world was too fast-paced. What I enjoyed most was seeing how a gallery put together a show.”

After graduating, she joined Barbara Mathes Gallery, a secondary-market dealer, where she learned the intricacies of provenance research, catalogues raisonnés, and condition reports—skills that became invaluable as she continued in the gallery field. Two years later, she took the bold step of opening her own gallery, starting with just a desk and a phone. Initially focused on the secondary market, she gradually expanded into representing contemporary artists and eventually secured a permanent space in Chelsea.

Over the years, Tina has adapted her approach to a rapidly shifting art market. International art fairs are now a cornerstone of her business—not just for sales, but for building networks with curators, collectors, and museum professionals. She often travels to a fair’s host city in advance to meet local art figures and tailor her presentations to the tastes and contexts of each audience. For her, art fairs are both a place for business and for branding—an opportunity to impress audiences with curated presentations. They are essential for staying relevant, promoting her artists, and cultivating relationships that lead to strong results.

Today, Tina works primarily in the primary market but continues to find the secondary market equally compelling. She compares representing artists to being a talent agent—identifying those whose work fits her program and supporting them in building international recognition. “I’m always on the lookout for artists who are doing something interesting and working on exciting projects,” she said. “When I see potential, I commit to supporting them fully.”

That same commitment shapes her work with Dansaekhwa artists, which remains a defining part of her program. Tina grew up understanding that Dansaekhwa was a pillar of Korean modern art history, yet it remained largely underrecognized and misunderstood by Western audiences. She has since dedicated much of her career to bringing this movement to international attention. After reading art historian Joan Kee’s 2013 book on the movement, she recognized an opportunity to present it on the international stage, beginning with the Venice Biennale project. With The Making of Modern Korean Art, she deepened that engagement by uncovering the personal histories behind the movement. She spent five years in collaboration with art historian Yeon Shim Chung, locating letters, securing permissions, and translating them to make the material accessible to a wider audience. The project was part exhibition, part archival research, and part education—underscoring that her role as a gallerist often overlaps with that of a cultural Historian.

Her advice to students was simple but resonant: “Once you decide to do something, you really have to be fully committed. You give yourself completely—there’s no excuse.” She also encouraged everyone to network with each other—this is especially vital when you move forward in your career. Your peers will always be your best network.

Tina’s dedication has shaped her career as a gallerist—someone who not only represents artists but also acts as an advocate, researcher, and bridge across cultures.