A megastar Korean singer isn’t the first character to come to mind for curating a special sale at Sotheby’s. For Chei Seunghyun (known as T.O.P), the position was practically inevitable. The musician has spent over a decade in front of the Korean public, shunning the prescribed image of vapid celebrity and making use of his fame and love of art to stimulate his fans with Korean contemporary art. His five million Instagram followers are treated to a curated selection of beautiful, significant art from openings, exhibitions, and private collections attended by T.O.P. The TTTOP x Sotheby’s special sale included six commissioned pieces by artists from around the world, and totalled more than 17 million US dollars at auction. It was the latest chapter in a tome that starts with a child raised by some of Korea’s foremost artists, and goes on to detail a life split between the stage and galleries, exposing the adoring public to something more than music.
