Learn more about KIMUSTUDIO and Samsung’s collaboration with the organization through the card news below.

The artworks below were created in collaboration with the Special Designers of KIMUSTUDIO (KIMU), an organization breaking down societal barriers through content. The Special Designers are a team of designers with developmental disabilities who are working to create unique and captivating works of art for the world.

Now, their works of art can be seen on a variety of Samsung Electronics’ art platforms. Samsung and KIMUSTUDIO have come together to unveil a new, special project with the goal of bringing KIMU’s unique, aesthetic pieces and values to the daily lives of consumers. To find out more about the Drawing Diversity Project, Samsung Newsroom met with the project members and learned about the team and how this collaboration came together.

▲ (From the left) KIMUSTUDIO’s CEO Jang-won Nam, Manager Ran Hur, Designer Taegyu Lee, Designer ByungHun Song, Yeonji Chee and Bora Kim from Samsung’s Corporate Sustainability Center pose in front of KIMU Atelier located in the Seongsu neighborhood of Seoul.

Art Platform Contents: Simply Consuming Art Expands the Value of D&I

“We thought long and hard about what Samsung’s consumers can do in their daily lives to join us in making a better future,” said Bora Kim from the Corporate Sustainability Center, who planned the Drawing Diversity Project. “We thought that if we can uphold the values of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in our products and services, then our consumers would be able to naturally participate in consuming and spreading these values,” she explained.

“At KIMUSTUDIO, all members complement each other and are placed in roles that utilize their talents and strengths,” said Yeonji Chee from the Corporate Sustainability Center when explaining how the cooperation with KIMUSTUDIO began. “KIMUSTUDIO does not provide one-sided help, but instead encourages everyone to accept the way they are and unleash their talent. Creating artwork in this way coincided with our vision to create a sustainable future through collaboration and mutual growth with various employees, partners and stakeholders.”

▲ Yeonji Chee (left) and Bora Kim (right) from Samsung’s Corporate Sustainability Center planned the art platform project with KIMUSTUDIO.

“When it comes to this collaboration, we can’t help but mention the quality of the artwork of KIMUSTUDIO,” Chee said. “First of all, we were mesmerized by the distinct works of art that are unique to KIMUSTUDIO. Not only did I personally like the bright colors and charming style of the artworks, but the quality of them was also outstanding and suitable to be presented to our consumers through Samsung’s art platforms,” Chee added.

“The artworks of KIMU break stereotypes that have previously created prejudice in art. They instead help us to provide new perspectives on the differences between people,” Kim said. “We wanted to share KIMU’s artworks, which integrate art and the values of D&I seamlessly, with consumers through Samsung’s products and services,” she said.

When consumers purchase the Special Designers’ artworks on Samsung’s art platforms, a portion of the proceeds are immediately shared with KIMU. In this way, consumers can participate both in promoting the values of D&I in their daily lives while appreciating the beautiful artworks of KIMU.

Sharing the Value of Diversity With the Broader World

KIMU’s artworks are created through a collaboration of many individuals. The Special Designers and other team members work together by utilizing their own unique, artistic talents, including sketching, coloring, design and more. A total of 16 KIMU designers worked together for Samsung’s Drawing Diversity Project.

▲KIMUSTUDIO’s Special Designers work with other team members to create works of art.

However, displaying artwork through art platforms is different than displaying artwork in galleries, which was the platform KIMU was most familiar with. The role of the electronic devices that display the artwork and the characteristics of those products, such as where they are usually placed, had to be considered as well. Additionally, the project participants needed to consider how TVs, smartphones and refrigerators are utilized throughout viewers’ daily lives.

“We organized the different styles of artworks considering the unique features of Samsung’s art platforms, which allow artworks to be easily accessible in people’s daily lives,” said CEO of KIMUSTUDIO, Jang-won Nam. “How we create art has been diversified from our existing artworks and we’ve created new patterns, sceneries and artistic objects based on projects that we were working on. As a result, we’ve created artworks that are more artistic and present a new aura.”

The artworks that are usually square-shaped were adjusted according to the specific device sizes, and diverse, new patterns, designs and themes were created as well. Additionally, artwork displayed on refrigerators usually contains nature and animals, giving the impression that the kitchen and external space are connected and creating a more spacious vibe within the home.

“For Bespoke Atelier and the Art Store, we thought of artworks that would go well with the design elements, such as colors and forms that are unique to home appliances,” Hur said. “For Galaxy Themes, which users interact with on a daily basis on their smartphones, we focused on creating trendy colors or styles that suit users’ preferences.”

▲ Designers ByungHun Song (left) and Taegyu Lee (right) are Special Designers from KIMUSTUDIO who participated in Samsung’s art platform project.

Although the platform for displaying artwork has changed, the project made an effort to maintain KIMU’s unique vibe. Special Designers Taegyu Lee and ByungHun Song participated in the project and elaborated on the process of creating artwork. “We tried to draw something we like in a unique way and that process was enjoyable,” the designers said.

▲ KIMUSTUDIO’s CEO Jang-won Nam (left) and Bridge Team Manager Ran Hur (right)

“The part that makes me the happiest is that the platform for KIMU’s contents has expanded thanks to the collaboration with Samsung, a company that has consumers all over the world,” said Ran Hur, Manager of KIMU’s Bridge Team, who is in charge of hiring Special Designers for partnerships. “We hope KIMU’s artworks will be a positive influence and help KIMU move closer to its goal of breaking down barriers through content.”

Samsung’s Art Platforms Shed Light on the Value of D&I in Different Places

Three business divisions at Samsung participated in this collaborative project, making this collaboration a new challenge for KIMU.

“The direction and value sought by each platform were clear, so coming up with an optimal way to develop them was an enjoyable and valuable experience.” CEO Nam said.

The managers of each business division in charge of exhibiting KIMU’s artworks also explained their perspective on the project.

How Working Together To Create Content Breaks Down Barriers in the World

“KIMU, where the Special Designers and other team members all play an essential role in creating content, shows what D&I is all about,” Bora Kim said.

“With this project, I hope we can also consider the values of D&I and sustainability when planning other services,” said Chee. “I also hope we can continue to expand the diversity of the creators who provide content for Samsung’s various services, as well as its art platforms.”

The values of D&I are present in all of KIMU’s artworks. “This project with Samsung has been special and valuable to each of us,” CEO Nam said. “I’m overwhelmed with joy to have this opportunity to showcase the talents of our designers through their artwork, allowing the values of D&I to be communicated and recognized throughout the world. I hope the distinct aura and stories of KIMU will resonate well with the viewers through the art platforms.”

Creating your own personal home gallery has never been easier thanks to Samsung Art Store. The Samsung Art Store contains a collection of over 2,000 works created by various artists, connecting people to a wide variety of aesthetic styles, designs and pieces that both inspire and touch the heart.

The Samsung Art Store is making art more accessible for all by providing professionally curated art for The Frame users. From master pieces to modern art and breathtaking photographs, the Samsung Art Store adds a touch of personalization to your home, all displayed brilliantly on a crisp 4K screen.

To learn more about the selection process for curating pieces for the Samsung Art Store, Samsung Newsroom sat down with Daria Brit Greene, Senior Curator for the Samsung Art Store. Read on to learn about how the Samsung Art Store is providing a new way to experience art from the comfort and convenience of your home.

For art to become part of your daily life, your daily life needs to become art first. At Samsung Electronics, Samsung Art Store managers bring this vision to live. Jiyea Kim, Jiwon Shin and Yeseo Choi all manage the planning and operation of the Samsung Art Store in Samsung’s Visual Display Business.

“Why must we have art daily in our daily lives?” To answer the question, Samsung Newsroom sat down with the Art Store managers to learn how artwork at home can refresh an ordinary day and transform our living spaces.

▲ (From left) Yeseo Choi, Jiwon Shin and Jiyea Kim from Samsung’s Visual Display Business’ New Service Business Development Group

Your Life, Centered on Art

The Samsung Art Store is an art subscription service that began in 2017 for The Frame, the company’s lifestyle TV. In partnership with more than 50 museums and galleries worldwide, the service provides more than 2,000 pieces of artwork, ranging from famous paintings to unique pieces from emerging artists. Through this service, users can access various works of art in 4K resolution from the comfort of their own homes.

Even today, consumers can find the traditional ways of viewing art to be unapproachable and inaccessible. However, even if art appreciation seems — at first glance — slightly out of reach, art has the power to benefit our daily lives. “Some people tend to believe that art is distant and difficult, but I believe anything that entertains our eyes and ears is considered art,” Jiyea Kim said. “When you feel exhausted and dull, you can get a boost of energy through art,” added Kim.

Refresh Your Living Space With Digital Art

One of the key features of the Art Store is that users can freely swap out their artwork according to the décor and mood of its surrounding space. There are a wide variety of options available in the Art Store, from renowned masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci to the photography by the LIFE Picture Collection, which captured historical moments of the 20th century.

“I personally use The Frame at home, and I can really see how it effectively changes my home interior,” said Kim. “It’s not easy to frequently change a room’s atmosphere, but with The Frame and the Art Store, I can easily change my space with different artworks — even for different seasons or special occasions like Christmas.”

Yeseo Choi suggested bringing out the space through a welcome painting. “Just like how we offer welcome food or drinks, when you have guests over, you can welcome them with their favorite piece of art on The Frame. It will not only give a new vibe to the space, but it will also present a special experience for guests,” she said.

Bringing Artwork to Your Living Room

The Art Store offers more than just artwork: it also provides a description for each piece and information on the artist. It even includes detailed information on the art museum where the piece is displayed. Thanks to such features, users can gain knowledge of the artwork while enjoying it.

“I saw the original artwork of Gustav Klimt at the Belvedere in Austria. I wanted to return to see it more often, but unfortunately could not,” said Choi. “However, I can now see it every day at home, as the works of Klimt have recently been added to the Art Store.”

“The Art Store vividly delivers each piece’s unique texture and characteristics,” said Choi. “So, even if the original artwork is displayed somewhere far away, you can always see the artwork as if you are looking at the original piece — whenever and wherever you are.”

Jiwon Shin was particularly interested in how children would benefit from the service. “With the Art Store, children can view various artworks that may lead to increased creativity,” Shin said. “Art might be difficult and unfamiliar even for adults. But if you start exposing yourself to art at a young age, you can be more familiar and have better perspectives towards it.”

Tips: Curating Art for Your Home

Looking for a painting or a drawing that fits your preference or reflects your mood? The Art Store comes with built-in recommendation features.

Users can utilize the For You feature to get comprehensive art recommendations that reflect all their preferences.

“The For You feature is a customized recommendation feature based on an algorithm,” said Choi. “For instance, if you enter keywords in the comprehensive search option that represent a certain color, such as ‘red’ or ‘green,’ or a certain mood, such as ‘modern’ or ‘light,’ then you’ll get the relevant artworks recommended for you. So, you can easily find artwork that reflects your mood or fits the space.”

An ongoing curation service is available as well. Through regular curation, the home screen of the Art Store shows recommended artworks suited to a particular subject or theme during a certain period of time.

“You can find previous curations from the Curation menu, so you can look up the subject that fits your preference and find relevant artworks anytime you want,” said Shin.

She also recommended the Favorites and Slide Show features. You can add any work of art to Favorites and set up the timing and duration of the Slide Show feature. According to the setting, the piece will automatically switch. Users can set the artwork to change as often as every 10 minutes or as slowly as once every week.

New Screen Experience Transcending Space and Time

The opening of the Art Store launched an era of users enjoying art anywhere, anytime. So, what’s the future of the Art Store? “Right now, this feature is only the Art ‘Store.’ So, we’re looking to expand the service from simply art discovery to different activities and experiences that users can enjoy in their space,” said Choi.

“Since this service is available for everyone regardless of their age or nationality, I hope more users will use this service,” Shin said. “We’re working hard to enhance the platform’s accessibility.”

“Until now, we’ve focused on promoting how users can access art through the service. But now, it’s become important to showcase the appeal of the service itself,” said Kim. “Our goal is to provide a service that brings happiness and satisfaction to the users as an art platform.”

Mulga is the embodiment of the cool “art dude” persona. The Sydney-based Australian artist is a freelance illustrator, published author and muralist, whose style is vibrant, intricate and just fun. With a career beginning in finance, he transitioned to making a living through art when he decided he wanted to do something he was truly passionate about.

Now, Mulga makes a living doing what he loves. His art is inspired by animals, summer and the ocean, which is brought to life through Samsung’s Art Store. Samsung Newsroom sat down with Mulga to hear more about his artistic process and how he sees digital transformation affecting the art world.

▲ Mulga

Q: Your work is described by others as intricate, vibrant and unique. In your own words, how would you describe your art style?

I’d say it has a lot of summer vibes and humor to it. It also has real Australian vibes. There are always the black lines and details with an element of fun that tie it all together. You could say that it is art that brings a smile to your face and makes you feel good.

Q: You’ve worked on a variety of projects — collaborations with big brands, murals, smaller original paintings and snowboards. What has been one of your recent favorites?

Last month, I painted a 100-meter-long mural on the beach at Port Macquarie, and that was an awesome one to do. I love the beach, summer and surfing; so, it was the perfect location. At one stage, the waves were washing up against the wall while I was painting, and I had to time it with the tides. This made it a bit more exciting.

Q: How did you start working with Samsung and the Art Store? What excites you the most about this partnership?

I’ve worked with Samsung on a bunch of different campaigns over the years, usually creating art using Samsung products. One time, I even created over 19 mobile phone wallpapers. Samsung is a great partner to work with because they have cool products and do a lot of collaborations with creatives.

I got involved with the Art Store when The Frame was first launched. Samsung licensed one of my gorilla artworks to display on the TVs and to use for printed ads. I painted live at the launch in Sydney and painted a large mural in Melbourne promoting The Frame.

Having my work in the Art Store means that people all around the world are discovering my art. Once someone has seen my piece in the Art Store, they are more likely to find my website, in search for the original painting that they have displayed on their TV. Also, there are royalties based on how long my art is on display on all the TVs around the world.

Q: Much of your work is done in a real, physical way — painting. How do you find your paintings translate to digital display on The Frame? Do you have plans to work with other mediums in the future?

It works great. I scan all my artworks into a high-resolution digital format for The Frame, and it looks close to a real-life painting. While I have no plans to change the way I paint, I would love to turn my paintings into 3D works of art — really big public ones — in the future.

Q: How has your own artwork evolved as technology advanced? Are there any notable changes to your work that were deeply impacted by innovations in technology?

With the rise in blockchain technology and the new thing of being able to ‘own’ digital art now via NFTs, digital art is really having its heyday. As an artist, it is a great thing. I’ve been creating digital art a lot more and particularly when working on my own NFT collection “MulgaKongz.” By creating art on a tablet, I can work anywhere — at the beach, on a boat or in a motor vehicle. It’s very convenient.

In terms of displaying the artwork, digital displays like The Frame provide colors that are super vibrant with all the details on full display. The colors can sometimes even be more vibrant than the real-life paintings so that they appear supercharged. A lot of the times when the artworks are displayed on The Frame, they are larger than the real-life version, and a lot of the details are more noticeable too, which can be more impactful than the real-life smaller versions.

Q: What three pieces of yours would you recommend for users to display on The Frame?

It really comes down to personal preference, but I can tell you that last month, my most popular artwork in the Art Store was the Clifford King of the Point. It’s a painting of a big, bearded dude, standing with his surfboard on my local beach, and he is surrounded by goofy looking seagulls. It’s summery, fun and colorful.

▲ Clifford King of the Point (2020)

The second most viewed artwork of mine last month was a colorful collage style artwork titled Under the Sea. It features coral, fish with moustaches, bearded pineapples and octopus tentacles. I originally drew this artwork for a chain of Poke Bowl restaurants in my hometown of Sydney.

▲ Under the Sea (2018)

Another one of my favorite artworks in the Art Store is titled Cactus Brothers. It’s a painting of two cactus characters wearing sombreros under a starry night sky. They are in the desert surrounded by cacti and palm trees, and an oasis style lake is in the background. It was an artwork, which I was commissioned to paint for a cactus-loving collector of my art.

▲ Cactus Brothers (2021)

To see more of Mulga’s artwork, head to the Samsung Art Store in The Frame.

While the adoption of technology within the art space is inevitable, widespread adoption of technology poses an important challenge: how to expand works of art digitally without taking away from the uniqueness of their physical form. For consumers, technology can break barriers and change how art is consumed. It can also provide a look into the future of art as the blending of the physical and digital art worlds occurs.

Samsung Newsroom recently sat down with Wolfgang Bergmann, CFO of The Belvedere to discuss how this partnership is paving the way for continued digital growth within the art space while still preserving the culture and richness of physical art.

▲ The Belvedere by Lukas Schaller

Q: Briefly tell us about your work at The Belvedere.

Our mandate is to set the course for The Belvedere, which is one of the oldest museums in the world, and a showcase for contemporary art. In that task, we are faced with the challenge of preserving the past while also being forward-looking and breaking new ground, and this is what makes our job so exciting.

Q: The intersection of art and technology has grown significantly in recent years, paving the way for the democratization of art, and it seems especially evident in its creation and accessibility. What is your take on this? How has this provided opportunities and/or challenges in the art world today?

The Belvedere aspires to be one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the digital world, thereby reaching new audiences. Today, around half of the Belvedere collection is available online. Those interested in art can easily research the museum’s inventory and scroll through 900 years of art history, from the Middle Ages to the present day. However, I am convinced that this will only increase their desire to visit Vienna and The Belvedere in person.

Q: Technology also makes art more convenient and accessible to collectors. How have you seen this play out over the years?

Digital art space is getting easier to access, especially through NFT technology. However, this won’t replace classical art but rather add to it. Quite recently, we decided the time was right to undertake a unique NFT project, and a centerpiece of The Belvedere’s collection — The Kiss by Gustav Klimt — was unveiled in the new format.

▲ The Kiss (Lovers) (1908-1909) by Gustav Klimt

Q: Digital art displays, such as Samsung Art Store, have allowed users to enjoy unique experiences from the comfort of their homes. How do you see this technology playing out in the coming years and what sort of impact will it have in the art industry as a whole?

I think this technology definitely arouses interest in art and enhances the experience of appreciating the original piece. Owners and viewers of the digital image can form a personal connection to the original artwork.

Q: What differences do you see between displaying your work in-person vs. digitally on The Frame?

A screen cannot replace the aura of the original piece. At the end of the day, The Frame and the Art Store invite people to see the original in the museum. On the other hand, museum visitors who have admired an original work of art on-site will be happy to bring it digitally into their living room. Modern screens are so technically advanced that you may discover things digitally on The Frame that you could not see with the naked eye in a museum.

Q: How do you envision the future of art exhibitions and museums?

Art exhibitions will continue to exist online and offline. The metaverse is becoming a part of our life, but it’s not a substitute for “real” life. The physical visitor experience in a museum will therefore always remain important.

▲ In the Bower (ca. 1901) by Marie Egner

Q: Can you tell us more about how this partnership came to be? Why did you choose The Frame? From your perspective, what are the benefits of Samsung Art Store?

We were thrilled by the idea of bringing our collection to new formats, like Samsung Smart TVs, in order to give people access to art in their own living rooms. The Samsung Art Store provides visual variety on the screens, you can choose pictures according to the seasons or your personal mood, and you can always discover something new. Samsung leads the industry in technological innovation, so the Samsung Art Store is the right partner for us.

Art pieces from the Belvedere collection on the Samsung Art Store are viewed many times a month. I am sure that the viewers are influenced by the artworks, consciously or unconsciously.

▲ Brushwood Collector in the Vienna Woods (1855) by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller

Q: Some of Belvedere’s most popular works in the Art Store include In the Bower by Marie Egner, The Kiss by Gustav Klimt and Blooming Poppies by Olga Wisinger-Florian. Are these also popular for museumgoers and are there any other pieces in the collection in the Art Store that you foresee gaining more mainstream popularity?

Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss is an icon piece of romantic love and a centerpiece of The Belvedere’s collection — people all over the world are smitten with it. Landscapes and nature motifs are also especially popular, both online and offline. As for increasing popularity, I see paintings by female artists from around the turn of the century, such as Broncia Koller-Pinell or Emilie Mediz-Pelikan, continuing to rise, as well as more works by Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele.

I would recommend some autumn motifs, such as Brushwood Collector in the Vienna Woods (1855) by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller and Orange Grove on the French Riviera (1903) by Broncia Koller-Pinell.

▲ Orange Grove on the French Riviera (1903) by Broncia Koller-Pinell

Stuart Franklin is an award-winning photographer who has traveled all over the world in pursuit of his work. The titles Franklin has held over the years vary from photographer to documentarian and art curator, with his work landing on the pages of newspapers, books, magazines and other media in between.

Over the years, Franklin’s work has gained considerable momentum and visibility — his work has earned a place in renowned publications around the world. Now, his work is featured on Samsung Art Store, introducing even more variety to the ever-growing art collection that is accessible through The Frame.

Samsung Newsroom sat down with Franklin to talk about his work and how he sees digital transformation taking the art world into new, unimaginable spaces.

▲ Stuart Franklin

Q: Briefly tell us about yourself, your work and the inspiration behind your photography.

I am a Magnum photographer, and I have been working in the industry for over 40 years. I am inspired by many things: light, form, the subject itself, often the overall idea behind a larger project. But these days I also enjoy drawing and painting as well.

I am currently working on a book about trees. 25 years ago, I published a book called The Time of Trees (1999), and I am now revisiting the subject in preparation for a new book in 2023.

Q: You began studying photography in 1976 and have made quite an impact since then. How has your photography evolved over time?

After studying drawing and painting, then photography, I began a career working for newspapers and news magazines. My stories were always people stories: in the news, street photography and portraits. This began to change during the 1990s when I began to focus more on landscape work — I worked on magazines, books or exhibition commissions and an exhibition for the National Galleries of Scotland.

Q: You are known for your wide array of photography styles. Could you elaborate more on your creative process?

My work has evolved over time. In the past, I worked mostly in news features or breaking news. I haven’t given that up: I recently did work on the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.K. But more and more I am focusing on landscape photography. Currently, I am interested in the relationship between nature and memory, so the conversation surrounds the relationship between elements in the landscape that spark a memory and something objectively interesting in the landscape itself.

Q: What is your favorite setting or location to take pictures?

Right now, forests. I have recently been working in the largest walnut forest in the world in Kyrgyzstan.

Q: Can you tell us specifically how advancements in technology and the emergence of digital art and platforms have changed or shaped your career?

Unusually, my work has moved full circle from working on color transparency film and black and white negative to digital color in about 2004 and now back to 80% film. I use my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra for about 90% of my digital color photography these days. Digital has many advantages, especially working in low light. But currently, I am working with film in black and white and digitally with the Galaxy S21 for color.

Backlighting and increased dynamic range are always an advantage with digital displays, but the disadvantage is often reduced image size. It is difficult to mix the two. Anything backlit in an exhibition will always stand out more than a silver gelatin print.

▲ Caroline Islands (2000), Stuart Franklin

Q: Caroline Islands (2000) is one of your most popular photographs displayed on The Frame. Tell us briefly about this piece. Why do you think people are attracted to this image?

This landscape and these colors speak of somewhere remote, a get-away, an escape, somewhere quiet and undisturbed. In bustling urban life, all these qualities become desirable.

Q: A lot of your photography within the Art Store that gained popularity over the years involve nature. Can you tell us more about what your artistic intentions were for these photos?

I have always found solace in nature and in celebrating its beauty. The challenge is making inspiring places be as inspiring in a photograph. That usually involves choosing the right light and the best time of day to be out photographing so that the highlights are not too bright or the shadows too dark. Light — the quality of light — plays a huge role in how I think about photography.

▲ Falls, Brazil (2000), Stuart Franklin

Q: Can you give us some background on this photo?

This photograph was taken in late 1999 on commission for the article titled Celebrations of Earth — published in January 2000 as the opening story of the new millennium. Due to the mist formed by the water thundering down the waterfall, the morning light stayed soft for quite a long time, which gave me enough chances to make several exposures from different vantage points. Also, Polaroid films that fit my camera were easy to buy back then to help me out in trials before making the actual exposures.

Q: Where do you see the future of photography art exhibitions heading? What are your thoughts about what’s to come?

I think there will always be an attraction in seeing the print as a three-dimensional object, as one sees a painting. However, I suspect in the future that the three dimensionality that we are used to experiencing in a gallery will be deliverable digitally and become widespread in time. The digital experience will expand in ways that we can barely imagine. There will be more virtual galleries and exhibitions. I feel sure of that, and that will make art more accessible to a wider range of people.

Q: Aside from the two photographs listed above, do you have any other recommended pieces for The Frame users?

I will always be one to flag my most recent work, so perhaps the work this year from Spain, Italy or Kyrgyzstan or the work I am about to do in November in Cambodia and Bali. But then I recommend the images from Bali that I took in 1999 for the Celebrations of Earth project — I still love those beautiful green rice fields. Then there is the work from Korea. Too much to choose from.

▲ Rice Fields, Indonesia (2000), Stuart Franklin

To see more of Franklin’s photographs, head to the Samsung Art Store.

Traversing both the impenetrable jungle of the Ecuadorian Amazon to the bustling city of Santiago de Chile, Alberto Montt’s work, which reflects his experience and emotions as gleaned from everyday life, has been featured on Samsung Electronics’ Art Store since 2019, gaining him popularity from fans around the world.

Montt is known in particular for his experimental approach to art, which combines different elements to create a new way for people to enjoy his work. With the rising popularity of digital art forms and new mediums, Samsung Newsroom sat down with Montt to discuss his work and the meaning of digital art.

▲ Alberto Montt

Q: Can you please introduce yourself?

I am a Latin American storyteller. Illustration is my second language. I have about 30 published books, and I do standup performances that mix elements of spoken and graphic language. I am inspired by everyday life and emotional memory, which allows me to relate to the day to day.

Q: Your pieces are known to present cultural and contradictive statements through youthful illustrations. Where does your inspiration for this come from?

Art should force you to think and to question your position in this world. When art does not challenge you, it is pure decoration.

Q: As a storyteller and an illustrator, you utilize digital art as a means to interact with your audience. What can you say about its growing popularity and what are some of the benefits it brings to the art community?

It features multiple mediums, which comes with its advantages and disadvantages. Digital art is a tremendously complex tool that allows communication to be explored from virtually an infinite number of possibilities.

Q: How has your own artwork evolved as digital art and as technology has advanced? Are there any notable changes in your life that were deeply impacted by innovations in technology?

The biggest impact technology has had on my life was allowing me to move around the world while working. These days, I am able to take my workshop and my studio with me wherever I go.

▲ Alberto Montt during his standup performance

Q: Let’s talk about your partnership with Samsung Art Store. What type of role do you think it plays in the evolving, digital art world?

Being part of the Art Store has allowed me to reach a diverse and global audience in a way that no other platform I know can offer. Being able to exhibit digital art with the value it deserves is an achievement that only technology has allowed. With my own Art Store on The Frame, the images I see change very often, and my whole space is consequently altered and delineated by that randomness and diversity.

Q: Are there any advantages of displaying art on screens such as The Frame?

Absolutely. The range of colors and lighting of the screen completely modify the relationship between the viewer and the work. For me, it has been very exciting to plan the works that will enter the Art Store from that perspective. I would love to see how they are observed and “lived” within people’s everyday spaces.

Q: Can you introduce three of your favorite pieces on the Art Store?

Tigre is a visual exercise that takes me back to my childhood. I grew up in the Ecuadorian jungle and although there are no tigers, the idea of the foliage and the innumerable colors and shades of green moves me deeply.

▲ Tigre, Alberto Montt

Laberinto is another one of my favorites. It’s a work that seeks, from graphic simplicity, to represent the complexity of human relationships.

▲ Laberinto, Alberto Montt

Beso is an illustration that is part of a book published in Colombia that discusses curiosity and emotional awakening. This is the picture I like the most from that book, perhaps because it also has that vegetal exuberance.

▲ Beso, Alberto Montt

Q: Finally, where do you see the future of digital art headed?

For me, art is a game that is constantly changing. That reinvention excites me. It is that surprise that keeps me alive.

To see more of Montt’s latest art pieces, including Beso, head to the Art Store on Samsung’s The Frame.

Melanie Mikecz, a mixed-media artist and illustrator based in San Francisco, U.S., is taking these experiences to new heights with her combinations of naturally-occurring patterns with hyperbolic expressions to masterfully blend the worlds of painting and graphic design for art fans of all ages.

In order to learn more about how technology is helping Mikecz create art that inspires artists and enthusiasts alike, Samsung Newsroom sat down with her to learn more about her creative journey.

▲ Melanie Mikecz

Q: You specialize in a digital mixed media style that charms children and adults alike. What inspires your work?

I have a background in both painting and graphic design. I found that combining painted elements and new technology gives me the most artistic freedom. I am not limited by the constraints of traditional media, but at the same time, my work has more texture and depth than digital media alone.

I have always been inspired by naturally-occurring patterns and vibrant color palettes. However, I do always like to add a twist to my work. Whether that is by exaggerating the color or by creating an imperfect pattern. Now that I have children, I am also influenced by their interests and aesthetics.

Q: Was your original intention when creating art to appeal to all ages? Or has that been a natural, organic reaction to your work?

I don’t know that I consciously sought to create art for all ages. Rather I enjoyed making art that was vibrant and a little funky. I’ve always liked drawing animals and creatures, so that tends to appeal to children. My more abstract work is geared more towards adults. However, I think there is a lot of crossover between the two styles.

My Art Store collection for The Frame has bright palettes and imaginative creatures that charm children. At the same time, I think many adults will enjoy adding some color and energy to their living spaces through my work.

Q: What do you think of the Art Store as a piece of technology to include within the households of children? 

I would imagine that the Art Store positively affects children’s development as it introduces them to a rotating gallery of art. By periodically swapping out the art on The Frame, children are presented with a variety of artists, styles and subjects. I think this can both inspire children’s own creativity and start bigger conversations.

Q: As you said, your illustrations are known for their vibrant color expression. How does The Frame display that aspect of your art?

The Frame displays color better than traditional print media, so my artwork is much more vibrant on its screen than on paper or canvas. The texture of my work also comes through nicely on The Frame. Furthermore, its function as a digital display allows for my work to get in front of a wider audience.

Q: What made you decide to work with digital art platforms, such as Etsy and The Frame’s Art Store?

I have been marketing my work on Etsy for years since it is a great way to sell my art directly to the consumer. When I first heard about The Frame, I thought it was such an innovative concept. So, when Etsy and Samsung approached me to share my work this way, I was eager to get involved.

Q: What has been your favorite piece of your own to be displayed on The Frame? Why?

My piece Enchanted Sea is one of my favorites because it bridges the gap between abstract art and illustration. The cool color palette of this piece has a modern, beachy vibe.

▲ Enchanted Sea, Melanie Mikecz

Q: How does showcasing your work on a digital platform like the Art Store mutually benefit art enthusiasts and consumers alike?

First of all, using The Frame to display art when not watching television is so much nicer than simply having an empty black box on the wall. I also think that it is super fun to be able to swap out the art being displayed depending on your current mood, the season, your vibe or another reason. For example, my piece Sea Turtle Swim might be displayed during warm weather or when you are dreaming of a beach vacation.

▲ Sea Turtle Swim, Melanie Mikecz

However, my piece called Mountain Adventure by the Sea might be more fittingly displayed during winter.

▲ Mountain Adventure by the Sea, Melanie Mikecz

This collaboration with Samsung and the Art Store is also the first time that I have worked with a partner to display my work only digitally. I appreciate the time taken to curate the collections on the Art Store and how diligently credit is given to the artist. The way art is carefully selected and displayed means that the Art Store has the sophistication of a museum collection.

Q: Ultimately, where do you see the future of art exhibition headed?

In the future, protecting the artist’s intellectual property will continue to be a focus. I also envision that we will see smaller displays much like The Frame all throughout the home, as well as more prominent digital-based displays in the broader world as digital art exhibitions become more popular.

To see more of Mikecz’s art pieces, including Enchanted Sea, be sure to head to the Art Store on Samsung’s The Frame.

The Art Store’s growing popularity has also provided rising artists a platform for their work to be seen by millions of art enthusiasts and design lovers worldwide. In particular, the Minted X Samsung The Frame partnership has allowed independent artists from more than 100 countries to have their work displayed alongside iconic works from renowned artists and institutions.

Samsung Newsroom sat down with Mariam Naficy, Founder, co-CEO and Chairman of Minted, about the Minted x Samsung The Frame partnership and how this technology empowers artists with more opportunities.

Q: Can you tell us more about how technology enables you to carry out your mission to help new artists and make art more accessible?

It can be challenging for new artists to reach a large audience in the art world. Our mission has always been to showcase the best in independent design to consumers everywhere, regardless of an artist’s background.

For instance, Minted holds open art and design challenges that allow anyone in the world to submit their art or design. Our customers vote for their favorite submissions, and Minted’s proprietary algorithms parse through millions of these votes to determine the winning designs. This crowdsourcing process champions inclusivity while bringing fresh and trendy designs to market. Together with The Frame and the Art Store, we are proud to create a pathway for independent artists to display their work digitally in millions of homes.

▲ Mariam Naficy, Founder, co-CEO and Chairman of Minted

Q: What made you decide to collaborate with the Art Store?

The Art Store shares Minted’s commitment to helping consumers discover and support artists. Samsung has curated incredible art, including works from prestigious museums around the world. We’re honored to see art from Minted artists in the same digital gallery as the classic or traditional masterpieces. By bringing the art of up-and-coming and emerging artists into peoples’ homes, Samsung is fostering inclusivity and accessibility, which are two values that are important to Minted.

Q: Can you share with us an artist success story that was made possible with Minted?

All the artists who have been featured in the Art Store have such diverse backgrounds, career paths and personal stories. For example, Bethania Lima, a Brazilian surface designer living in Uruguay, has grown her business through Minted — and has had the opportunity to bring her work into even more homes worldwide through our partnership with the Art Store.

Q: What are some advantages of displaying art on The Frame vs more typical ways of accessing art such as visiting art galleries or exhibitions?

In many homes, the television is in a room that serves as a gathering place, and bringing art into your home is a wonderful way to share the beauty of design with friends and family. Displaying unique art on The Frame turns an everyday living space into your own dynamic gallery that can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home with the people you love.

The Art Store’s audience has continued to grow, which has led to larger earnings opportunities and greater success for featured artists. We also love the curated, thematic lists that help people discover art in the Art Store.

Q: How has your own work evolved since you first partnered with Samsung?

Minted’s ongoing design competitions ensure that we always have the latest in art and design, and we’re very excited to have refreshed the Minted Art collection for the Art Store this year. It’s the first major refresh of our assortment since we launched, which is very exciting. Our new collection features a diverse group of artists and new art trends.

Q: What pieces would you recommend for users to enjoy through The Frame’s Art Mode?

“Everything Changes”, Fernanda Martinez

• Fernanda Martinez is an Oakland, California-based artist and founder of La Tinta Art. She explores the subject’s relation with the environment through her abstract paintings and murals incorporating natural elements as themes. With an experimental and intuitive approach to her work, her pieces are unique statements that represent feelings of connection, expansion and growth. In particular, Martinez’s artwork “Everything Changes” was inspired by a sunny day in the city. Combining the yellows and browns from city buildings with vibrant golds, oranges and blues creates a unique and modern composition.

“Festooned”, Brandy Brown

• Brandy Brown is the creative director of Marabou Design. As a wife and mother, she crafts with the idea of her modern family and their extraordinary friends in mind. Her background is in graphic arts, and she believes that function and clean design go hand in hand. Much like her personality, her aesthetic is described as both playful and smart. In her piece “Festooned”, Brown wanted to depict the serenity of a BIPOC¹ woman holding a lush arrangement of florals. Just as flowers come in many varieties and colors, Brown wanted to capture the vast spectrum of femininity through her digital art.

Linear Abstract – “A Long Ray Around”, Raven Erebus

• Raven Erebus is a Silicon Valley-based artist who worked as a software engineer before turning to art full time when her health declined. Erebus’s work discovers the magic in the everyday world around us and is often inspired by her immediate environments, as she has a chronic disability. Erebus explains that her simple pen and ink drawings, like “A Long Ray Around”, consist of interlocking lines inspired by the shapes found in nature. The lines create pathways, rays and arches resulting in a soothing minimalist design that is perfect for modern decor.

To see the latest crowdsourced art pieces from the Minted x Samsung partnership, head to the Art Store on The Frame.

¹ BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous and people of color.

Based on the partnership with Saatchi Art, Samsung introduced ‘The Frame X Saatchi Art’ gallery at the London Design Festival in 2017

Samsung Newsroom spoke to Sarah Meller, Senior Director of Brand and Marketing Strategy at Saatchi Art, about the partnership and the network’s perspective on digital art and the Art Store, giving you a closer look into the relationship that takes the virtual art world to a new level.

Q: So, what made you decide to collaborate with the Art Store in the beginning?

We wanted to be at the forefront of using technology to bring the art world to people on a global scale. By partnering with The Frame, we felt that it would make art a more integral part of people’s lives, leading to a greater appreciation of it overall, which is such a good thing.

Q: What piece would you recommend to users to enjoy through The Frame’s Art Mode?

It’s difficult to pick just one. Saatchi Art’s chief curator, Rebecca Wilson, chose several art pieces for The Frame that stand as a testament to the TV’s versatility. They are as diverse and equally stunning as each other, and include everything from Claire Desjardin’s abstract paintings to Dean West’s fine art landscape photography.

If I had to choose a few, I would recommend:

• Dancer: Gama #0 by Cody Choi: The contemporary photographer and choreographer who is best known for his stunning, figurative portraits of dancers in motion. As a dancer himself, Cody can masterfully capture the dynamism and passion of his subjects.
  

• Boomerang House by Cécile Van Hanja: She is best known for her abstracted renditions of modern architectural spaces. Cécile’s paintings depicting homes and pools immediately transport guests to mid-century spaces.

• Winter Warm II by Sandy Dooley: She is an impressionist artist who spontaneously splatters paint with vibrant hues that characterize her harmonious landscapes, inspired by memories of growing up in the English countryside.

Q: How do you think the Art Store has evolved since you first partnered with Samsung? What are some of the improvements that stand out the most?

Since we partnered with the Art Store in 2017, its selection has grown tremendously, which has been very inspiring. It’s been wonderful to see iconic institutions like the Musée du Louvre join in and bring museum-quality art into the homes of viewers around the world.

Q: How has Saatchi Art evolved since you first partnered with Samsung?

At Saatchi Art, we support our artists as they explore emerging mediums and styles. We have been increasing our offerings in the digital art and NFT space. And we are thrilled because not only do NFTs offer real practical benefits to artists, but also give them a new medium in which to express their creativity. We are excited to evolve our mission into this space.

Q: How do you feel about technology changing the way in which people appreciate art?

Technology has provided us with many benefits when it comes to the arts. While real-life art experiences will never go away, nor should they, technological advances like the ones shown through the Art Store are transforming the way people access and consume art. Ultimately, these changes lead to more democratization, more diversity, more experimentation and more creativity.

Another benefit of The Frame is the lighting and the subsequent colors it creates. Lighting is so key when it comes to displaying art. The fact that The Frame can automatically adjust the screen’s brightness as lighting conditions change helps to maintain the natural colors of the artworks, ensuring a great viewing experience for consumers.

To see art from this partnership with Saatchi Art, head to the Art Store on The Frame.

As technology continues to enter the art world in ways that haven’t been seen before, the display and creation of digital art are becoming increasingly common. Amid this climate, Samsung Electronics has partnered with the Leeum Museum of Art to promote the convergence of art and technology and allow people to experience 5,000 years of history with a curated collection in the Art Store on The Frame.

Samsung Newsroom reached out to Kwang-bae Lee, a curator at the Leeum Museum of Art, to get the inside scoop on the museum’s reopening, its collections and its collaboration with Samsung.

Transcending Time and Space With Artworks That Span Eras and Styles

▲ Exterior view of the Leeum Museum of Art

The Samsung Foundation of Culture established the Leeum Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, Seoul, Korea in 2004 in order to preserve its cultural assets and share them with the public. It was designed by acclaimed architects, Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel and Rem Koolhaas, and is highly regarded for its architectural value and harmonious design which blends with nature. With its unfailing dedication to holding exhibitions and showcasing its expansive collection, the museum now has one of the most broadly representative and varied collections in South Korea. Today, the Leeum is known as an open museum where various artistic styles, from traditional Korean art to vibrant and modern contemporary pieces from both Korea and abroad, can coexist. The museum has also been utilizing digital technology in its exhibits for the past ten years with this technology allowing, old artworks to be displayed in new and exciting ways. In this way, the Leeum seeks to head toward the future while not forgetting about the past. The museum is currently using a variety of state-of-the-art devices for both exhibition and education purposes.

▲ The interior of the Leeum Museum of Art

During the renovation period, the Leeum launched new permanent exhibits featuring both traditional and modern artworks. It also revived a special exhibition entitled “Human, 7 questions”, which is designed to offer visitors a chance to reflect on humanity as the source of art and contemplate the meaning of human existence during times of crisis. It has also installed a massive Media Wall in its lobby, allowing users to appreciate the artwork of Jennifer Steinkamp upon entering the museum.

“Following the Leeum’s reopening, people seem to be paying special attention to the new collections and special exhibitions we have opened,” said Lee. “I am excited to have visitors come in and see the new and improved space for themselves as they enjoy the full experience the renovated museum offers.”

Samsung and Leeum Usher in a New Era of Digital Art

The partnership between Samsung Electronics and the Leeum is also playing an important role in the ongoing unification of art and technology. Thanks to the fact that works curated by the museum are included on The Frame, users can now view them not just outside of the museum, but across the world. As Korean culture continues to grow more popular and expand into new countries, the introduction of this collection on the Art Store opens new opportunities for users around the world to experience the beauty of Korean traditional art.

▲ Lidded Bowl (National Treasure), 11th-12th century (Goryeo Dynasty)

Curators spent a great amount of time and effort selecting a collection that shines a light on the artistry and aesthetic of Korean art for display on The Frame. Because of this, viewers can now enjoy beautiful patterns on metal, subtly colored pottery and vibrant paintings from the comfort of their homes.

“Technology allows visitors to appreciate finer details in an artwork – whether it is a picture, a text, or a voice – that they may not have noticed before,” Lee said. “As technologies continue developing, our appreciation and understanding of art will expand beyond what we could ever have imagined.”

▲ Daoist Immortals, Kim Hong Do, 1776 (Joseon Dynasty)

Samsung Electronics and Leeum have been cooperating on using technology to promote art since the museum opened in 2004. Beyond digital art displays, this partnership has also demonstrated how digital archives can play an important role in preserving historical legacies.

“In this era, when we have access to abundance of masterpieces, the best of art and technology have to come together to complement one another,” Lee commented. “We hope our collaboration with Samsung will eventually come to be regarded as a masterpiece in and of itself.”

The collection of artworks curated by the Leeum is available in the Art Store on The Frame today.

Check out some of the Leeum’s top picks for The Frame below.

“The Frame is not just a device for watching TV, but a lifestyle product which enhances a space with its design and enriches consumers’ lives with an extensive art collection,” said Simon Sung, Executive Vice President and Head of the Sales & Marketing Team of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “We continue to look for ways to strengthen The Frame’s offerings to find innovative ways to satisfy consumers’ evolving needs and desires. We are also always exploring partnerships with new museums, galleries and artists to offer a much wider range of collection in the Art Store.”

Innovative Design Marries Form and Function

The Frame is the most popular model among Samsung’s Lifestyle TV lineup. Since it was first released in 2017, The Frame’s design, features and size have continuously evolved, reflecting consumers’ ever-changing tastes and lifestyle needs.

As consumers have been spending more time at home, the popularity of home entertainment content has risen, along with consumer demand for their screens to go beyond a home appliance and enhance their interior design. The Frame perfectly converged these trends to offer consumers a blend of form and function, leading to rising sales for the lineup.

Innovating picture quality and keeping up with consumer trends drive Samsung to continually enhance each new iteration of The Frame. In 2020, Samsung added QLED picture technology to deliver more vibrant images. The TV also incorporates a brightness sensor to adjust the brightness level depending on the surroundings, so that viewers can fully enjoy optimized pictures and videos. In July 2021, Samsung launched an 85” version, so it is now available in five different sizes (32″, 55″, 65″, 75″, 85″) to satisfy a variety of lifestyles and home spaces.

The Frame in 2021 offers a slim bezel of 24.9mm, or almost half the width of last year’s model, adding elegance of space with frame-type bezels available in various colors. Users can choose a customizable frame — white, teak, or brown flat-style bezel, and white or brick red beveled chamfer-style bezel.¹ The Frame can be set up on a TV stand, wall-mounted for a gallery look, or on the recently released studio stand.

Curated Content Through Strategic Partnerships in the Art Store

Aside from its unique and modern design, a focal point of The Frame is the Art Store — its proprietary art subscription platform. When users are not watching content on The Frame, they can use Ambient Mode to choose works of art from the Art Store’s vast library of paintings and photographs to put on display — this way, the screen does not have to be a blank canvas interfering with interior design, but an element that enhances it.

The Frame’s Art Store offers over 1,500 artworks from world-renowned museums and galleries such as the Hermitage Museum in Russia, the Louvre in France and the Prado Museum in Spain. Through partnerships, Samsung has expanded the Art Store’s collection to encompass unique artworks from up-and-coming creators all over the world such as Magnum Photos, a global photojournalist group, and most recently, the leading art photography maison YellowKorner, to offer vibrant artwork that takes advantage of The Frame’s QLED picture quality. With AI-based curation, the 2021 version of The Frame analyzes consumers’ patterns and tastes and recommends new artwork.

The 2021 version of The Frame offers significantly increased storage capacity with 6GB compared to previous versions that offered 500MB. It can now store up to 1,200 pictures in 4K resolution so users can select more art to form their own personalized gallery.

For more information on Samsung’s lifestyle TV portfolio, please visit www.samsung.com.

¹ The Chamfer style bezel is available only in 55″ and 65″

Palani Mohan is an award-winning photographer who holds the view that if you slow down and look around you, you will find “small, beautiful miracles that take place all the time.”

Samsung Newsroom spoke with Mohan about his experience as a photographer and his collaboration with Samsung on The Frame.

Life Through a Camera Lens

▲ Photographer Palani Mohan, Katie Barget for TEDxSydney | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Mohan photographs a variety of subjects, from his famous pictures of eagles on the outskirts of Mongolia, to the various shades of Hong Kong, and just about everything else in between.

Many of Mohan’s projects have led him to travel around the world, visit new places and meet new people. Before the pandemic, Mohan spent as much as six months out of the year on the road for work. Now, however, he spends a lot more time staying in one place.

▲ Man and Eagle over tall grass (2013)

Mohan says he hopes that, when people look at one of his photographs, they get the same feelings of awe as if they were standing right beside him when he took it.

“Most, if not all, of the time when I’m taking my photographs, I am alone, especially when I’m doing landscape work,” he comments. “So when people look at my images on the screen, or in a magazine or print, I would like them to feel like they’re standing where I stood and seeing what I saw when I made that image. If they can do that, I’ll be very happy because my job will be done.”

On The Frame, viewers can experience Mohan’s stunning work in premium, QLED picture quality that brings photos to life. When viewing his work on The Frame, Mohan says, “I hope [viewers] see what I see. I hope they look at my work and see what a magical place this world is.”

▲ Hong Kong through the clouds (2016)

Technology Shines a Light on Detail

An interesting aspect of Mohan’s work is that a large portion of it is black and white. Whereas other photographers may focus on the colors in a scene, Mohan often removes the color to let viewers focus on other aspects of the subject.

▲ Water Dragon (2019)

Art and technology have already been intersecting for some time, with technology being used as a medium for both creating and viewing artworks. And innovations such as The Frame are bringing the two even closer together, making pieces more accessible and opening a world of new possibilities for producing and showcasing art. And this is especially true for artists like Mohan who value attention to detail very highly.

▲ Golden Eagle (2013)

“The Frame gives viewers the chance to look at a piece of art as the artist wants them to view it,” Mohan says. “It feels so real, viewing images on The Frame. It changes the interaction you have with the artworks you look at. You see all the details and tones – you can walk up and see the work as the artist really intended.”

It is the quantum dot technology in The Frame that gives it its spectacularly vivid display, and that delivers the finer detail that illuminates texture and contrast. “Attention to the minute details is very important to me. I place huge importance on the quality of my work, the tones reflected and how the visual image is presented. This is a huge part of what I do,” Mohan relates. “I go to extraordinary lengths as far as the quality of the final image, and I believe Samsung and The Frame do exactly that too. The screen resolution on The Frame is out of this world – simply unbelievable. And I think it’s a wonderful marriage when you have an artist who also puts quality above everything else. When the two meet, the result is magic.”

Palani Mohan’s work is available in the Art Store on The Frame now, and 14 new pieces will be available from late November.

As a pioneer of Korean abstract painting, Kim Whanki created his unique and characteristic art with refined, formative expression that is based on Korean lyricism. He was recognized for his artworks in centers for modern art that include Paris and New York.

Samsung Electronics has been partnering with Whanki Museum since 2018 to introduce a range of Kim Whanki’s artworks to global customers and provide easier access to Korean modern art.

Samsung Newsroom reached out to Whanki Museum curator Min-A Sung to talk about how art can serve as a medium for both communication and empathy.

Fostering Artistic Energy and ‘Art For All’

▲ Exterior view of Whanki Museum

Whanki Museum, established in 1992, creates a variety of artistic and cultural content through the research, exhibition and publication of the work of contemporary artists. The museum also provides educational programs and seeks to embody the philosophy of ‘Art for All’ by running a range of programs that expose disadvantaged groups to art and culture. “Whanki Museum will become an open venue for facilitating communication and building empathy based on artistic energy,” says the museum representative. “The partnership with The Frame Art Store provides increased opportunities for us to share our culture and art.”

▲ Inside Whanki Museum

How Samsung Communicates With Global Consumers Through The Frame Art Store

The museum representative also mentions that the ways people consume art are changing. “Art now influences our day-to-day lives,” they say. “In order to keep up with these shifts, we need to introduce new ways for people to experience art, and try to partner with experts to combine art and IT technology.”

▲ Morning Star, 1964

The representative adds that they have high hopes for the collaboration between the museum and Samsung. “Vivid color and contrast, which deliver a refined sense of rhythm, are key aspects of Kim’s artistic style,” they say. “The Frame’s QLED 4K display is the perfect medium for his work to be showcased to viewers around the world.”

With Quantum Dot technology that allows more than a billion colors to be displayed at 100% color volume, The Frame allows artistic intent to come through vividly on a bright screen with accurate color reproduction.

Master KIM Whanki’s Artistic Vision Realized on The Frame

Whanki Museum has introduced ten of Kim’s major works to The Frame Art Store since 2018. This has allowed users to enjoy major works such as Deer and Eternity Song, as well as a variety of pieces that were not easily accessible to the public before.

▲ 12-V-70 #172, 1970

In addition to displaying Kim’s artworks, The Frame Art Store also provides background information on the pieces. “The curatorial department has created descriptions for each artwork to provide resources that deliver a range of perspectives and introduce Kim’s artistic vision to more people,” relates the representative. “We hope the detailed explanations provided by Whanki Museum will help users experience the pieces in vivid and stunning quality, just as though they were viewing them in a gallery.”

The Frame Art Store offers a comprehensive, ever-expanding collection of artworks to satisfy customers’ needs and match any environment or atmosphere. Its catalog now includes around 1,500 artworks from a range of periods and styles that were sourced from 40 famous museums and galleries and are displayed in exceptional 4K resolution.

Founded in 2006, YellowKorner is a leading art photography maison headquartered in France, operating a network of more than 130 galleries worldwide across 25 countries globally. It offers more than 3,000 limited-edition and certified prints in collaboration with some of the world’s leading artists of this generation.

Through the partnership, The Frame will offer an extensive collection of photographs curated by YellowKorner, allowing viewers to discover and experience the magic of photography in a way that has never been possible before. The Frame will also be displayed in some YellowKorner’s art galleries in France, where customers will be able to discover The Frame and get the possibility, through a QR code, to have information about The Frame.

Additionally, Samsung and YellowKorner will partner with renowned and emerging artists to hold exhibitions in Paris with the goal of democratizing art photography. Both websites, Samsung and YellowKorner will indicate details, where visitors will be able to deep dive into the partnership, the iconic Lifestyle TV and its leading art platform, the Art Store, where some YellowKorner artists present.

The Art Store currently has over 1,500 works of art from more than 600 artists in 42 different countries that consumers can enjoy in 4K picture quality from museums and galleries around the world, including the Albertina Museum in Vienna, the Hermitage State Museum in Saint Petersburg, the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Tate Modern in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and LUMAS.

“The partnership with YellowKorner signifies the increasing presence of The Frame’s Art Store as one of the leading art platforms around the world,” said Jongsuk Chu, Executive Vice President and Head of Europe Office at Samsung Electronics. “We hope that this partnership will continue to provide our consumers an easy and accessible point of entry to experience their favorite artwork.”

The Frame is Samsung’s award-winning lifestyle TV, which transforms the everyday living space into an art gallery with stunning works of art from the Art Store. The 2021 version builds on The Frame’s iconic design, offering an even slimmer bezel of 24.9mm, mirroring the depth of a traditional picture frame and allowing the viewers to focus on the artwork itself.

The Frame portfolio is available in seven screen sizes, ranging from 32” to large 85” models. Taking advantage of industry-leading QLED 4K picture quality, The Frame also uses a Brightness Sensor to detect the surrounding light conditions and automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness and color tone to provide astonishingly vibrant pictures while displaying the artwork as it was intended to be seen.

For more information on Samsung’s lifestyle TV portfolio, please visit www.samsung.com.

Depending on the space, there are various ways in which Samsung’s Lifestyle TVs can be used to enhance an interior. With the help of a home stylist named Rachel, Samsung Newsroom came up with elegant ways to use the company’s Lifestyle TVs and household objects to decorate a variety of spaces. Whether you are decorating your interior with plants or opting for a minimal aesthetic, the following tips and tricks can help you create the perfect space.

* The images in the article have been edited for illustration purposes.

In order to get to know more about how users around the world are enjoying their Samsung lifestyle TVs, Samsung Newsroom reached out to a range of influencers and trailblazers within different creative industries.

Adèle & Maxime, French Graphic Designers With an Interest in How Objects Work With Their Interiors

“Samsung’s lifestyle TVs blend in with the décor, becoming an aesthetic element in their own right – all with simplicity and lightness.”

Q: As designers and illustrators yourselves, what do you think about the design of Samsung’s lifestyle TVs?

A: The design of Samsung TVs is very interesting because, once placed, they become a modern and active object in our interiors. They blend in with the decor, becoming an aesthetic element in their own right – all with simplicity and lightness.

Q: Samsung has partnered with some artists on the design of their lifestyle TVs. What are your thoughts on such partnerships that blend technological innovation with artistic creativity?

A: The idea of opening up the design of an everyday object to creators is something that is very important to us. Technological objects can lose their simplicity and poetry by merit of their design, but by collaborating with creative people, we can bring this issue to the forefront to resolve it.

Virro & Lola, A Mexican-French Photographer and Creative Professional Duo With a Passion for Travel

“Samsung’s lifestyle TVs combine art, aesthetics, interior design and entertainment, making them go far beyond the television function – which is really revolutionary.”

Q: Along with your professional pursuits, you are known for your joint Instagram page where you share your favorite travel experiences. What do you think about The Serif with which you can view your own media and memories?

A: We used to hate the black screen of the TV in our living room, so Ambient Mode is one of the features we love most about The Serif. It’s really cool that Samsung regularly introduces new content for Ambient Mode, but mostly, we’re keen on showcasing our own media and having it on display for ourselves and our guests.

Q: Virro – as a photographer, what is it about Samsung’s lifestyle TVs that appeals to you the most?

A: First of all, thanks to their QLED screens, the image quality is impressive. In addition, Samsung’s lifestyle TVs combine art, aesthetics, interior design and entertainment, making them go far beyond the television function – which is really revolutionary.

Q: Lola – what is your favorite thing about The Serif?

A: What I love most about The Serif is that it’s a TV that doesn’t look like one. Being passionate about interior design, I believe that The Serif is a beautiful, unique and bold addition to a living space.

Kyal & Kara, Australian Renovators Who Like to Think Outside the Box

“The ability to view either your own or world-renowned media on The Frame means that there are infinite ways to create a look and feel unique to each individual.”

Q: How do Samsung’s lifestyle TVs factor into your daily household routines and activities?

A: With two young children and an active lifestyle, we really value our relaxation time together as a family, and Samsung’s lifestyle TVs play a big part in this. On the weekends, we love our movie time together as a family, and the kids love choosing artwork from the Art Store for The Frame we have in our rumpus room – it’s a great way for them to take ownership of the space.

Q: Samsung’s The Frame combines technology with aesthetic for seamless TV experiences. What are your favorite features of the TV?

A: The two standout features for us are the TV’s thin, streamlined design and the customizable bezel. We’re all about creating spaces that evoke emotion as you enter the room, and the ability to view either your own or world-renowned media on the TV means that there are infinite ways to create a look and feel unique to each individual.

Q: What tips would you provide to users looking to match their Samsung lifestyle TV to their interior?

A: We have three key tips. Tip 1: function first – work out how you’d like your TV to be displayed. The Serif is a great option for angular spaces where wall mounting or units are not an option.

Tip 2: find your inspiration. From color palettes to other décor pieces, be sure to know what’s important in your space. Finally, tip 3: create a style unique to you. Ask yourself what vibe you’re looking for with your space. For example, if you prefer minimal interior styling, The Frame with a white bezel would be the perfect choice.

Lotte Meister, an American Interior Decorator and Stager Who Loves When Function Meets Style

“The Serif feels both retro and modern at the same time and doesn’t take up too much visual space the way a TV on a console table might.”

Q: Samsung’s lifestyle TVs are developed to be able to fit into any interior space and aesthetic. What are your thoughts on the design of The Serif? What do you like most about it?

A: The Serif’s clean lines and cool vibe make it a decorative element in its own right. What’s more, the sloped ceilings of our bedroom did not permit a flat screen to be hung on the wall, yet we wanted to be able to watch TV in bed. The Serif was the perfect solution. It feels both retro and modern at the same time and doesn’t take up too much visual space the way a TV on a console table might. The hidden wiring is also genius – the decorator and stager in me loves the look!

Q: What about The Frame? What do you like most about it?

A: We have 3 homes across New York state, each with completely different aesthetics. We have a Frame TV in each of these homes, and it looks great in each location. I love it because it looks like another piece of art and doesn’t scream “Look at me, I’m a TV!”. The choice of finishes available for The Frame make it work in every style of home.

Jin-woong Son, a Korean Furniture Designer With a Passion for the Harmony of the Interior

“The Frame’s bezel is so refined that the joints fit perfectly when you switch out your bezel – like puzzle piece slotting into place.”

Q: As a professional furniture designer, do you have any special criteria in mind when choosing a TV?

A: I would never choose a product that doesn’t harmonize with the space it is to be placed in, which is why I currently use The Frame, as I like how it can be used as an actual art frame when the screen is turned off.

On top of that, you can easily change The Frame’s bezel color to match your changing interior any time you want, something that you can’t do with most electronics. Furthermore, the bezel’s joints are designed at a 45° angle, and as a furniture designer, this strikes me as amazingly sophisticated. The bezel is so refined that the joints fit perfectly when you switch out your bezel – like puzzle pieces slotting into place.

Q: These days, the demand for lifestyle TVs that are able to merge seamlessly into a user’s space is on the rise. What are your thoughts on this trend?

A: In the past, the TV used to play the role of gathering family members all together in the living space while also providing entertainment. These days, however, the role of TVs has become much more about providing multifaceted entertainment experiences, as well as serving as statement furniture pieces.

For those living in a small space, The Serif makes the perfect choice – as opposed to, say, a huge wall-mounted TV – as it makes use of the space it takes up by serving as a sophisticated interior décor item that stands on its own as a piece of furniture.

* The influencers featured in the article are Samsung’s paid influencer partners.

With new artworks from the Louvre joining the collection, The Frame now boasts a catalog with over 1,500 works of art from 42 different countries that consumers can enjoy in 4K picture quality from museums and galleries around the world, including the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Albertina Museum in Vienna, the Tate Modern in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Hermitage State Museum in Saint Petersburg and LUMAS.

“Ever since we launched our lifestyle TV portfolio in 2017, we have focused on developing the Art Store platform with prestigious partners. We want to offer much more than a television, inviting Art into the homes of The Frame owners everywhere. This catalog lists works by hundreds of artists, covering diverse periods, from ancient civilizations to modern art,” explained Wonjin Lee, President and Head of Service Biz Team at Samsung Electronics. “This year, we are proud to join forces with one of the most famous museums in the world, the Louvre, to enhance this collection and offer a taste of French heritage throughout the world.”

Admire the Louvre’s Treasures From Your Own Home

By entering into a partnership with the Louvre,¹ Samsung offers all The Frame owners a chance to explore the most visited museum in the world through forty pieces of artwork and photographs. This selection includes must-see masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa and The Wedding Feast at Cana, as well as photos of the majestic Louvre galleries, its architecture and museum grounds (Louvre Pyramid, Tuileries Garden, etc.). A short description of each work gives users a glimpse into their background and history.

Samsung and the Louvre also plan to unveil other exclusive content for The Frame users later this year.

“The Louvre is a venue of discovery, imbued with emotion, a spectacular setting for artistic masterpieces. Admiring works from its collection every day, at home, as well as views of the building, galleries and gardens, is a wonderful way to see and understand the extraordinary beauty of this museum,” said Yann Le Touher, Head of Development, Brand Licensing and Commercial Partnerships of the Louvre.

Ultra-Slim Design and Exceptional Picture Quality

The Frame boasts a unique and customizable design that sets it apart from the rest. Designed to be a TV when it’s on and art when it’s off, The Frame is an innovative digital canvas that reflects an individual’s personal style. The 2021 version of the lifestyle TV offers new custom options to complement every space and style, with two frame designs: modern (available in white, teak and brown) and bevelled (available in white and brick red).²

To complete the artwork appeal, The Frame can be hung flush to the wall on an ultra-slim mount and connected to a One Connect box via a single translucent³ cable that integrates all TV connectors including the power source. Users can also set The Frame anywhere in the room on a Studio Stand.⁴

In addition to its gallery-ready design, The Frame provides a vibrant 4K⁵ QLED picture quality powered by Quantum Dot Technology that allows 100% color volume, immersing viewers in a world of rich and realistic colors.

For more information on Samsung’s lifestyle TV products, please visit www.samsung.com.

About the Musée du Louvre

Formerly a royal palace, the Louvre has embraced the history of France for eight centuries. Open to the public since 1793, the Louvre collections are among the finest in the world, encompassing several thousands of years and spread across a large territory from America to the confines of Asia. Divided among eight departments, the collections feature works admired throughout the globe, including the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Venus de Milo.

After the French Revolution, the Louvre was created as a place where artists could admire the great masters and look for inspiration. Even today, the Louvre remains a place of inspiration for the greatest contemporary creators, architects, painters, sculptors, dancers, and musicians.

More information on www.louvre.fr.

¹ Through 30 June 2023

² For the 55 and 65-inch models

³ Comes with one 5-meter cable; 15-meter cable available separately. Available for the 43, 50, 55, 65 and 75-inch models.

⁴ Sold separately.

⁵ The 32-inch model is in QLED Full HD.

The Louvre has a fascinating and rich history; a former royal palace, it has been a cornerstone of French history for over eight centuries. Open to the public since 1793, the Louvre’s collections are among the finest in the world, spanning several thousands of years and regions of origin from America to the borders of Asia and beyond. Divided into eight departments, it houses some of most recognizable art pieces in the world, including the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Venus de Milo.

Samsung Newsroom spoke with Yann Le Touher, Head of Development, Brand Licensing and Commercial Partnerships at the Louvre, to learn more about what users can expect from this exciting partnership.

▲ Pyramide et Palais du musée du Louvre (2021) by Nicolas Guiraud

LFH (Louvre From Home)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, everyday life has been flipped on its head. The arts and entertainment were among the industries hardest hit, but that didn’t stop the public’s yearning to enjoy cultural pursuits. In order to allow people to still be able to experience its collections, the Louvre sought out new and innovative method of sharing art including uploading its entire art collection online.

According to Le Touher, this has been a crucial step in making sure the Louvre accomplishes its main mission of sharing art with as many people as possible. “It is important to share knowledge on as many of the artworks preserved at the Louvre as possible,” highlighted Le Touher. “We believe this online platform, which presents thousands of our artworks, is useful not only to art historians and researchers, but also art lovers.”

▲ Mona Lisa (1503-1519) by Leonardo da Vinci

Samsung and the Louvre’s partnership is in line with the goal of bringing artwork closer to art fanatics around the world thanks to Samsung TVs’ pristine picture quality and lifelike images. The Frame is known for its ability to display images that look remarkably like physical prints and paintings, with the screen’s signature Quantum Dot technology making colors more vibrant and contrast sharper. “We were impressed by the features offered by The Frame and were interested in the idea of bringing art into peoples’ homes as well as making it more accessible,” noted Le Touher.

As an iconic structure itself, photos of the Louvre itself are also available, bringing Parisian chic directly to you so as to bring the entire Louvre experience to your home. The Art Store provides access to an expansive range of artworks from world-renowned galleries and museums directly to your home, elevating any living space.

Find Your Inspiration

The Louvre has cemented itself as a place of inspiration for artists and art-enthusiasts alike. “The greatest architects, painters, sculptors, and craftsmen not only imagined and embellished the palace, but also lived, worked, and exhibited their work at the Louvre for over three hundred years,” said Le Touher.

In September, the Louvre opened its latest exhibition dedicated to Greek art. This project highlights the cultural, historical and artistic links between France and Greece in the 19th century and shows how the rediscovery of Greek antiquity changed the European view of Greece.

Thanks to The Frame’s ever-growing library of art some of that inspiration can now be yours too. There are 40 pieces of artwork from the Louvre and photographs of the iconic building, available on the Art Store today.

▲ Le Sacre de Napoléon (1806-1807) by Jacques Louis David

“Our selection of artworks from the Louvre include great masterpieces, such as the Liberty Leading the People, and the Grande Odalisque,” noted Le Touher. “We also want to promote lesser-known paintings that are important and meaningful in art history.” The Louvre and the Art Store partnership has, for example, added the painting Deux chiens de chasse liés à une souche (1548) by Jacopo Bassano, a monumental piece as the first animal portrait in Western painting, albeit less known than works such as the Mona Lisa.

“We are proud to be part of the partners highlighted in the Art Store,” affirmed Le Touher. “Thanks to Samsung’s technology and innovation, we have the opportunity to give people the impression of having a reproduction of their favorite work at home. Obviously, this does not replace a visit to the museum but we strongly believe it can bring inspiration and joy to many homes.”

Samsung’s lifestyle TV The Frame is known for its ability to recreate images that look remarkably like physical prints and paintings, with quantum dots in the panels making colors more vibrant and sharpening contrast. The Frame has been offering curated selections since 2017, with the Art Store providing access to an expansive range of artworks from a host of eras and contributions from world-renowned galleries and museums.

Under its monthly theme of ‘Wild and Free’, the Art Store is featuring world-renowned photographer Tommy Clarke, whose aerial photography transports viewers to scenic, dreamlike destinations. Samsung Newsroom sat down with Clarke to learn about his creative journey and his work.

▲ Bamboo Parasols (2019)

The View From Up Here

Ever since he first picked up a camera, Clarke knew that photography would allow him to capture his artistic vision in a way no other medium could. “I found I could most easily capture what I wanted to with a camera,” he says. “Plus, I’m able to have my camera with me at all times!”

And Clarke’s preference for aerial photography has led him all over the globe, from Miami Beach to Iceland, as he searches out interesting scenes to capture. “From there it becomes about whether I can get a helicopter or plane over the area,” he relates. “When the stars align, I pack a camera and go.”

Rather than orchestrate a scene, Clarke prefers to capture what’s naturally going on beneath him, flying high enough so that people aren’t looking up at him, but low enough so that he can capture those important details.

▲ Tommy Clarke

Capturing Incredible Colors Around the Globe

For Clarke, color is a vital element when it comes to getting the perfect shot. “The colors may be the most important part of my photos. It’s what first catches the eye and it’s why my photos hang on walls around the world,” he says. “Capturing incredible colors – be they from sand bars in Australia, or colorful beach towels in Saint Tropez – is what gives my photos their beauty.”

And technology plays a huge role in ensuring those colors are accurately reflected. On The Frame, which produces 100% color volume thanks to quantum dot technology, colors have a lifelike quality that truly communicates the artist’s intent. “I am used to world class printers and museum quality paper, so when I first saw my images on The Frame, I was blown away,” he notes. “The colors pop in the same way they do in a physical print.”

▲ Playa Shoreline (2015)

Redefining Norms

With technology like The Frame’s QLED display now available to him, Clarke says his craft is shifting. “I’d be willing to put on a fully digital exhibition now. Technology like The Frame gives me full faith that my images will be displayed exactly as I want them to be,” he says. “Given the choice of doing an exhibition with five screens on the wall showing images on rotation, or printing and framing forty images, I’d go for The Frame every time.”

What’s more, with The Frame users have access to an ever-growing library of art unlike any other. In Clarke’s opinion, “The best part about The Frame is that you don’t have to choose just one picture to hang on the wall. Often, people at my gallery are torn when deciding which picture to buy. But The Frame resolves this by allowing them to rotate the images they’re displaying.”

8 of Clarke’s pieces are available today on the Art Store and The Frame.

The Belvedere’s art collection includes works ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day. In the Baroque ambience of Belvedere Palace, the museum presents the world’s largest collection of Gustav Klimt paintings as well as prominent works from the periods of Viennese Biedermeier, Austrian Baroque, Vienna around 1900, and French Impressionism. Samsung’s The Frame is bringing a selection of 17 artworks by nine artists—the highlights from the collection—for viewing in the comfort of the home.

“Art needs strong partners. This project shows how fruitful it can be for all parties to have a cooperation between technology on the one hand and art and museums on the other. Together with Samsung, we are making it possible to make art more accessible to an international audience – and in doing so cementing our conviction that art is for everyone,” said Wolfgang Bergmann, CFO at Belvedere. “The trend towards digitalization and the possibilities that Samsung offers are of great benefit to us in this regard. Of course, there is no replacement for seeing the original. And the Samsung’s The Frame Art Store inspires people to do just that.”

“We are excited to provide globally renowned works of art in The Frame’s Art Store in partnership with the Belvedere,” said Simon Sung, Executive Vice President and Head of the Sales & Marketing Team of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Since introducing The Frame in 2017, Samsung has curated a diverse catalogue with artworks from all over the world for the Art Store. Through this collaboration with the Belvedere, The Frame users will be able to enjoy a unique experience from their own homes.”

With new artworks from The Belvedere joining the collection, The Frame now boasts a catalogue with over 1,500 works of art from 42 different countries that consumers can enjoy in 4K picture quality from museums and galleries around the world, including the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Albertina Museum in Vienna, the Tate Modern in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Hermitage State Museum in Saint Petersburg and LUMAS. These partnerships allowed users to experience The Frame not just as a television, but also as a discovery hub to explore the world’s most beautiful art pieces.

▲ (From left) Michael Zoeller, Vice President and Head of CE Samsung Electronics Austria, Taeho Park, President Samsung Electronics Austria and Switzerland, Wolfgang Bergmann, CFO, Belvedere

▲ (From left) Kyuseong Lee, Kang-il Chung and Sunwoo Kim, the lifestyle TV product planners at Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business

The characteristics of TVs are continuing to evolve in line with the latest trends and lifestyle patterns. Against this backdrop, the role of the television has expanded. Whereas it used to simply be a device for delivering entertainment, the TV has now become a central component of users’ interior design schemes.

To keep up with emerging trends, Samsung Electronics has continued to think outside the box as it explores new possibilities for TVs. Since 2015, the company has been continuously pushing the envelope to develop new looks and features on its televisions, and ensure that consumers can fit their TV to their lifestyle. So, how did Samsung come up with its lifestyle TV line, and what kind of consumer experience is it aiming to provide? To find out, Samsung Newsroom met with the company’s lifestyle TV product planners, who have contributed to solutions ranging from The Serif to The Terrace.

Lifestyle TVs: Becoming More Than Just a Fixture of the Living Room

Vivid picture and a sense of immersion are two fundamental elements that a television must provide, with a well designed product capable of delivering both. Nowadays, lifestyles are shifting, and viewing has moved out of the living room, with people preferring to consume their content in whichever room they are in at the time.

“Our goal was to allow consumers to have a range of different screens for the various spaces in their house,” said group leader Kang-il Chung. “This would allow them to enjoy whatever content they wanted, wherever they were, based on Samsung’s ‘Screens Everywhere’ philosophy.” Chung’s work involves analyzing tech trends and usage patterns, which allowed him to start determining which new features users want from their television.

“In order to establish concepts for new TV products and functions, we look at things like how televisions are being used, interior decoration trends and the overall cultural and lifestyle preferences of our users,” explained product planner Kyuseong Lee. During the planning stage, the product planners focus on connecting the desired user experience to the essence of the product. By doing this, the team seeks to make it easier for the user to comprehend both the product’s story and the distinct experience it offers. Added Lee, “Rather than simply adding lots of different functions, we work to clearly define the main concept of the product, then make it different. In this way, we look to realize all aspects of the core experience to perfection.”

The Serif and The Frame: Bringing Classy Décor to Your Other Rooms

Since the time of its invention, the television has been considered a staple of the living room. But now, with a growing number of users also putting TVs in rooms like their bedrooms and studies, this is changing. In line with this trend, Samsung has expanded what it deems the ‘TV space’ from the living room to a range of other rooms. Along with this, the company has started to develop televisions that not only suit the interior aesthetics of those other rooms, but include features that match the needs and lifestyles of the people using the rooms.

In September of 2015, Samsung introduced its first lifestyle TV, The Serif, which was designed to contribute to users’ interior design schemes. The Serif’s iconic I-shaped design was created by the internationally renowned Bouroullec Brothers, and is an ideal choice for those who want an aesthetically pleasing television that goes well in any space. “We pursued a meaningful design that emphasized people and space, and tried to get away from the usual ‘TV look’,” said Chung. “A lot of consumers claim that The Serif looks more like a lifestyle product than a TV.”

The product planning team’s ongoing efforts to develop new models that blend well with their surrounding environments also contributed to the development of The Frame. Looking like a modern picture frame, this television can be matched to any home décor style and features an ‘Art Mode’ that allows viewers to enjoy artistic masterpieces from the comfort of their homes. The TV’s sensors are also capable of automatically detecting illumination intensity and movement. “Samsung is collaborating with world-renowned curators, renowned art galleries, museums and artists to deliver a broad collection of art through the Art Store,” related Sunwoo Kim. “We will keep working hard to ensure that we are able to display an increasingly broad range of great artworks in stunning resolution.”

Thinking Outside the Box: The Sero for Millennials

And Samsung’s ‘think outside the box’ development philosophy goes beyond considerations of space and expands to form. Whereas a typical television has a horizontal, 16:9-aspect-ratio screen, modern viewers’ increasing use of mobile devices means that watching content on vertical screens is becoming more and more common. The Millennial generation’s tendency to watch things on their smartphones, in particular, has contributed to the increased prominence of vertically displayed content. Thus, The Sero was developed as an answer to the question, ‘what if we could make the TV screen rotatable so that it could better match the lifestyles of Millennial users?’

The Sero is the result of this bold idea. “Developing the Sero with a rotating screen was a long and challenging journey, as it was like we were exploring unchartered territory,” said the product planners. The team had to consider a broad range of factors, such as whether the user would rotate the screen manually or whether it would rotate automatically. The project brought many different teams together as they set out to create a whole new consumer experience, with their efforts eventually culminating in ‘The Sero’. “We are witnessing an increasing amount of consumption of vertical, short-form content on social networking sites,” remarked Chung. “And The Sero allows viewers to use screen mirroring to watch this content in a full screen, immersive format.”

Expanding to Other Spaces: The Premiere and The Terrace

Over time, the focus of Samsung’s Lifestyle TVs has shifted again. Due to the pandemic, many people prefer watching movies at home to going to the theater these days. The Premiere is specifically designed for those who want to create a theater-like environment in their homes. This easy-to-install model boasts a large, theater-like screen with very sharp picture quality. “With The Premiere, you can enjoy your favorite content on an ultra-large screen from the comfort of your home,” related Kim. “With a premium fabric finish, The Premiere also serves as an excellent complement to your interior décor.”

In the current climate, more people are also making use of private outdoor spaces such as balconies. In line with such consumer lifestyle changes, Samsung has introduced its first outdoor TV model, The Terrace. With superior water and dust resistance, The Terrace delivers an outstanding viewing experience regardless of rain, heat or other adverse weather events. Said Lee, “Going forward, the outdoor TV market is expected to grow exponentially. The Terrace provides an optimal outdoor viewing experience, delivering exceptionally vivid and detailed images in both the sunlight and the shade.”

As our TVs become increasingly important parts of our lives, some argue that the evolution of the product is nearing its conclusion. But Chung thinks differently, claiming that, “There is still an unending range of possibilities for what our televisions might become in the future.” He expressed hope that himself and his team will be able to keep introducing new and varied lifestyle TV models to keep providing fresh experiences to consumers.

Samsung’s lifestyle TV product planners believe that TVs need to keep evolving in order to keep up with continuously changing lifestyles. “We want to develop TVs that people want to own, and that they’ll want to show off,” Kim stressed. “Our dream is to build a so-called ‘lifestyle universe’ where each space is equipped with a lifestyle TV that suits the function of the space.”

Available exclusively on the award-winning lifestyle TV The Frame, the Art Store has since seen its collection to grow to offer over 1,500 works of art from 42 different countries. Thanks to the expansion of numerous partnerships over the past four years, users can enjoy such world-famous masterpieces as Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ right on the high-resolution screen of The Frame.

But how exactly does the Art Store on The Frame transform your living room from a blank screen into your own personal customized art gallery? Take a look at the infographic below for 5 need-to-know facts about the Art Store on The Frame.

Samsung Electronics’ award-winning lifestyle TV The Frame continuously transforms the space it’s in by offering users access to over 1,500 pieces of virtual art from some of the world’s most renowned artists, museums and industry tastemakers.

This month, the Art Store is highlighting those masterpieces that bring the most beautiful scenery found around the planet straight to your living room with its World Environment Day spotlight, a curated set of art pieces that feature breathtaking scenes from all over the world. One artist whose work is featured in this spotlight is Cody Cobb, a photographer who travels to some of the most remote places known to man to capture nature the way he believes it should remain: untouched.

Figure 1. In my “studio” which is in the landscape itself

Bringing the Beauty of Our Planet to More People

Cobb has worked in photography for the past 20 years, first as an artistic pursuit that began as a part of his digital illustration projects and subsequently developing to be his primary medium. He travels to remote places including the vast American West in order to find unique landscapes, natural formations and stand-out moments to capture. He spends much of his time working alone in order to allow for serendipity to lead him to the discovery of the exceptional scenes captured in his work.

▲ Death Valley (2015)

“I am not sure that I can turn off the part of my brain that is engaged when I am photographing,” noted Cobb of the ways he harnesses his camera to capture his unique view of the world. “I observe the world in a specific way, obsessively finding details and patterns. Sometimes I will happen to have a camera with me, and that’s when I am able to capture those observations. Photography is a natural extension of my way of experiencing the world.”

By bringing his works to the selection available to users on The Frame, Cobb hopes that people will be able to experience the world in the way that he is able to when he is taking photographs. “I would love for those who view my work to be transported somewhere else for a moment,” he noted. “I hope that they can experience the sense of stillness that I myself enjoy while shooting.”

Cobb also hopes that when a user takes in the incredible scenes he has been lucky enough to see firsthand, they are able to stop for a moment and appreciate the beauty of what they are seeing. “I hope that my artwork offers a nuanced way of experiencing nature,” he said. “I want these places to come across as mysterious and I hope that people are able to get lost in them.”

Experiencing the World Through The Frame

On The Frame, Cobb’s photos are displayed using nano-sized Quantum Dots which offer 100% color volume and bring over a billion shades of precise colors to users so that users can enjoy the artworks with the original color, detailing and texture intended by the artist. Users are able to experience the natural beauty of our planet just as it is, for what feels like a firsthand view of these amazing scenes.

▲ Parallel World (2017)

“The Frame is such a perfect expression of the cinematic visuals running through my head when I’m creating art,” noted Cobb. “I want my photos to feel alive and the technology powering The Frame allows for that. I also love that my fine art prints can exist on the same wall alongside the work I have available on the Art Store.”

Putting Nature First Thanks to Transformative Technologies

Having collaborated with The Frame’s Art Store since its early days, Cobb understands how important it is to bring art into peoples’ homes and how technology plays a pivotal role in doing so. He is grateful for transformative experiences The Frame offers as a digital platform for displaying art; “Thanks to The Frame, I now have a new audience and a whole new way of sharing my work,” he noted. “It is incredibly motivating.”

An ardent advocate for the environment and the protection of the spaces he captures, Cobb is now selling his work via NFTs (non-fungible tokens) on platforms such as Hic et Nunc as the form of digital currency they employ consumes much less energy than other platforms. For each NFT sale he makes, he is donating a portion of the proceeds to environmental preservation organizations.

Fifteen of Cody’s pieces are available on The Frame’s Art Store now, and two of his photographs are being featured as part of this June’s Environmental Day spotlight.

In order to celebrate International Women’s Day this March 8, Samsung has put together a compelling campaign capturing the stories of female employees from across the company’s various regions and fields in collaboration with several talented artists. Take a look at the full video here.

Samsung Newsroom sat down with three of these female employees of Samsung who are thriving in their fields and embodying the qualities of diversity, tolerance and confidence in the workplace.

Samsung employees from around the world who embody the spirit of achievement through support and embracing diversity. From left to right: Katrina Burns, Samsung Electronics Australia; Vanisri Srikrishna Jallapelli, Samsung R&D Institute India – Bangalore; Miyoung Yoo, Samsung Electronics’ Digital Appliances Business

Achieving Results Through Open Communication, Diversity and Respect: Katrina Burns

In the workplace, collaboration and honest communication with everyone, regardless of their background, is imperative. Katrina Burns, who is in charge of designing UX (User Experience) at Samsung Electronics Australia’s Retail Experience & Operations, focuses on yielding results through collaboration and respecting the opinions of all her teammates.

Katrina believes that free discussion and the exchanging of opinions lead to better results. Sometimes, when needing to come up with a new idea, she and her team take a walk in a nearby park, an initiative that she explains provides more flexibility and brings a better energy to discussions.

Katrina’s team is encouraged to take interest in each other’s interests and celebrate each other on their personal achievements, including birthdays. Every Friday, the team makes music playlists across different genres in order to get to know each other’s tastes; what’s more, the team even takes part in a ‘Thank You Friday’ event where they share things that they have been grateful for over the past week.

All these initiatives were introduced by Katrina with one goal in mind – to bring all teammates closer to one another in order to facilitate better results, and to build a support network that spreads consideration to all members. “Trust builds between team members based on the knowledge that each member can ask another for help whenever they need it,” shared Katrina.

Katrina, who was born and raised in New Zealand and spent a number of years working in Australia, has been lucky enough to have many strong women around her to inspire her. She hopes that more women will develop the confidence to go as far as she has; “Women need to remember that they are capable of becoming whoever and whatever they want to be,” she affirmed. “I, myself, aim to become a leader who not only performs well but also improves the lives of those she works with.”

Supporting Growth Through Equal Opportunity: Vanisri Srikrishna Jallapelli

No matter how much talent an individual may have, it can never quite be fully realized without the right opportunities. Vanisri Srikrishna Jallapelli, Technical Program Manager of Samsung R&D Institute India – Bangalore, says that the greatest strength of the company is its fair systems and the equal opportunities it offers.

Vanisri first worked on a project with Samsung in 2003 and officially joined the company in September 2008. She was able to fully immerse herself into her work and constantly challenge herself thanks to a company atmosphere that respects and embraces diversity.

Thanks to this culture wherein equal opportunities are given regardless of gender, Vanisri managed to thrive based on the trust and respect of her teammates and team leader. “The prejudice that women cannot excel in the field of technology does not exist at Samsung,” affirmed Vanisri. “Here, women can truly unleash their full potential.”

Vanisri shared that punctuality and continuous, sincere communication are her keys to successful collaboration. She is also grateful that she is now able to assist younger female employees thanks to her own experiences. “When helping other colleagues, I also end up learning new things, and through that, we grow together,” she explained.

Despite her success so far, Vanisri still aspires to achieve more, with her future goal being to become a leader in the technical program management field of Samsung. “Nobody here has rejected me just because I am a woman,” she noted. “I will continue to strive to become an exemplary colleague.”

Inspiring Others Through Passion: Miyoung Yoo

Miyoung Yoo, Senior Vice President at Samsung’s Digital Appliances Business in Korea, is regarded as a model leader by many younger colleagues. This is because she continues to follow her dreams and passions by challenging herself to become the best in her field.

Her path to reaching the position she currently holds has not always been a smooth one – as a working mother with two children, it was hard for her at times to find a balance between her work and home lives. However it was through the kind words of her senior colleagues, who assured her that no matter the struggles she faces now, there will come a time when she will be retelling her story with a smile on her face, that she was able to find balance and kept striving to achieve her passions.

Looking back over her experiences, Yoo noted that she has seen positive changes, including improvements in the employee’s childcare management systems and parental leave allowances. She stressed that, in order to further cultivate a culture of diversity and acceptance, it is important that efforts are continued to listen to the voices of people from all backgrounds.

Respecting the diversity of colleagues in the workplace is an essential element of today’s society to help us all develop and work for a better tomorrow. Samsung Electronics considers diversity a priority and works to ensure that every employee feels as if they belong to teams that embrace diverse talent and provide equal opportunities for unleashing each and every member’s potential.

Along this line, Samsung is celebrating International Women’s Day with a campaign in collaboration with talented artists to tell the stories of a diverse range of employees. These illustrated stories telling the experiences of twelve female employees at Samsung from around the world with varying roles will be available on Samsung’s The Frame Art Store¹ free of charge.

You can also visit Samsung.com to see the full stories and illustrations of these trailblazers from March 8.

¹ The Frame’s Art Store provides access to over 1,400 pieces of art from world-renowned galleries and museums.

We’re back with part three of our in-depth series examining the ins and outs of The Frame’s Art Store.

If you’re just joining us, be sure to check out parts one and two once you’re finished here to find out how collections are curated, and to learn more about how The Frame is helping talented artists expand their reach. In this, the last entry in our series, we turn our attention to museums and the role they play in introducing incredible works of art to users’ living rooms.

Follow along as representatives from museums beloved by art lovers and The Frame users alike – London’s famed Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum, and Madrid’s iconic Museo Nacional del Prado – discuss partnering with the Art Store to make their masterpieces more accessible.

Q: How did your collaboration with the Art Store come about?

The V&A’s Licensing R&D Manager, Amelia Calver: In March of 2018, we started the V&A Collection for The Frame in partnership with Samsung. This collaboration embraces our defining principles of access, education, inspiration, creativity, design and innovation.

Working with the V&A’s expansive archive, Samsung selected over 20 works of art for the Art Store which span centuries and cultures, yet all embody a story of decorative art and design. From classic wallpaper patterns from the celebrated British Arts & Crafts Movement, to dramatic woodblock prints, users can now enhance their surroundings with a digital display of V&A images that are the perfect mix of art and history.

The Museo del Prado Difusión’s General Manager, Cristina Alovisetti: Samsung has been a long-term Prado partner since 2013. We have been working with the common goal of using technology to make art more accessible to society, creating more opportunities for people to enjoy and learn about it.

Q: What does the Museum find most intriguing about the Art Store and The Frame?

V&A: The V&A is the world’s leading museum in terms of art, design, and performances. It holds 2.7 million objects ranging from ceramics to furniture, photography to digital design, and fashion to fine art. With this in mind, we were immediately fascinated by the concept of The Frame. The way the television has been designed to fit seamlessly into a room and appear as appealing when off as it is when in use is an example of great ingenuity and imagination.

Prado: What we found most intriguing was the idea of The Frame as a window for enjoying art with the very specific added value of enabling users to become curators.

If we were to imagine a natural progression for enjoying artworks from museums, postcards would come first, paper copies, such as posters, would come next, and high-definition images on devices would follow. The Frame’s Art Store goes further in a way by becoming a part of people’s homes. People enjoy digital content on their devices when they are ‘connected,’ and The Frame and the Art Store create a way for them to continue enjoying art when they are ‘disconnected.’

Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid (@Museo del Prado, by Jerónimo Alvarez)

Q: How does the Art Store’s philosophy of making art more accessible align with the Museum’s?

V&A: When the V&A was founded in the mid-19th century, it pioneered modern techniques of photography, electrotyping and plaster casts, and enabled working people to access the highlights of Western civilization and high culture without having to travel overseas.

In the same spirit, The Frame’s Art Store brings together highlights from the V&A’s collection, from Japanese woodblock prints to William Morris’s wallpaper designs, creating the impression of entering a digital gallery, and therefore widening the level of access to world-renowned art and design.

Prado: The Prado dedicates considerable efforts to sharing knowledge through its website and the richness of its contents. When an artwork cannot be experienced live, the quality of the images becomes a priority, as even the smallest details can offer a new point of view. The way that the Art Store allows us to admire and enjoy art up close is completely aligned with this way of perceiving art.

Q: How would you describe the importance of appreciating art in our everyday lives?

V&A: Art and design are integral parts of home and daily life. As humans, we naturally react – often subconsciously – to our everyday surroundings, and it is therefore important to realize and embrace the emotive nature of art and design in their ability to create beautiful and uplifting experiences.

The V&A is world-renowned for creating such experiences through its collections and blockbuster exhibitions on a variety of themes. What a wonderful opportunity to invite these experiences into the home through the Art Store!

Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London

Q: How would you sum up the selection of art that the Museum is showcasing in the Store?

V&A: The collection includes timeless masterpieces and works from unknown artists, giving you the freedom to discover art you love. It includes the work of the creative pioneers that the Museum is well-known for, such as William Morris, Hokusai and James Francis Danby, but also new and in some cases unknown names and designers, which will help give customers insight into the work and history of the decorative arts museum, and an appreciation for our collection and all its variety.

Prado: Since the beginning, we’ve selected our major artworks with careful consideration for how they would be presented and enjoyed. The constantly updated Prado Image Bank has allowed us to fill our collection with 4K images, achieving the level of quality needed to properly enjoy them through a digital medium.

We selected a wide range of works from the Prado Collection that spans centuries and styles, including both icons and lesser-known masterpieces such as Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights and Velazquez’s View of the Garden of the Villa Medici, 19th-century landscapes like the Riva degli Schiavoni in Venice, and still-life and portrait pieces.

Q: Have you noticed any interesting trends in terms of the types of art that users are most attracted to?

V&A: There’s been a huge surge in the desire to connect with the natural world and show our respect and appreciation for it. Patterns by William Morris and some of his contemporaries, including C.F.A. Voysey and Walter Crane, offer a sense of that connection.

Whether you want bold, bright colors like Walter Crane’s Cockatoo and Pomegranate, or more elegant, earthy tones like William Morris’s Strawberry Thief, these designs can help bring a sense of calm and tranquility into the home.

Prado: Still life, landscapes and decorative art are particularly popular. Other pieces in the mix include lesser-known paintings like The Siesta, or Pompeian Scene – a domestic scene in antiquity for a 21st-century home.

About the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A)

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A) is the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance with collections unrivalled in their scope and diversity, spanning 5000 years of human creativity. It was established in 1852 to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Today, its purpose is to champion creative industry, inspire the next generation, and spark everyone’s imagination.

About the Prado Museum, Madrid (The Museo Del Prado)

The Museo Del Prado is considered by many to be the greatest public collection of paintings in the world. From the time of its foundation in 1819 the Museum attracted to Madrid the most refined and sensitive art lovers of the 19th century. In the Prado’s tranquil galleries they discovered Velázquez and Goya and through them the entire Spanish School, which from that point onwards enjoyed a new esteem among critics and art historians worldwide. In addition to the key works by those painters, to whose list of names we should add El Greco, the Museum also houses extremely important holdings of the work of other European artists as a result of the collecting interests of the Spanish monarchy. It is consequently impossible to gain a profound knowledge of the work of Titian, Rubens or Bosch without visiting this venerable institution.

During the course of its existence and over more than two hundred years that have passed since 1819, the Museo del Prado has been able to reinforce its collections to a significant degree, becoming one of the most established and highly appreciated institutions of its kind in Europe.

* Users looking to discover artwork collection from V&A and Museo del Prado in The Frame’s Art Store can head to Partner > V&A or Partner > Prado.

Welcome to part two of our series spotlighting the artists and institutions behind The Frame’s one-stop art shop, the Art Store.

In part one, we met illustrator Hyun Kim, who discussed how The Frame has helped his playful illustrations find a wider audience. Here, we turn our attention to the curation process in a wide-ranging interview with the Store’s official curator: a world-renowned art advisor who’s spent the last 15 years creating bespoke art experiences, Elise Van Middelem.

Q: What are your main responsibilities as The Frame’s Art Curator & Advisor?

My responsibilities range from researching and recommending artists, to contacting the right partners, selecting specific artwork, and defining key categories.

Q: How long have you been curating art for The Frame?

In 2016, Samsung and [Swiss designer] Yves Béhar reached out to me to collaborate on The Frame, and I was immediately attracted by the possibility of demystifying the art experience. For me, art is a second language – a lens that has helped me understand people from all backgrounds and cultures. Our goal was to make The Frame’s art collection accessible to anyone in this way, which is why it includes artists from the four corners of the world – from Southeast Asia to Canada, and from South Africa to Europe.

We decided to start with a wide selection of artworks covering a variety of categories, including Landscapes, Architecture, Wildlife, Drawings, Digital Art, Action, Still Life, Patterns, Urban Abstract and From Above. This offered The Frame users the feeling that they owned a curated art collection of museum quality.

The names of the categories speak for themselves. However, within each one, my goal was to find artwork that transcends the experience of traditional wallpaper or stock photography, and to replicate the feeling of entering a digital gallery exhibition in which every artwork has been carefully selected. The curation and integration of an Art Store within The Frame came at a later stage.

Q: How have the artists and partners you’ve collaborated with responded to The Frame?

The artists I’ve worked with see it as a great idea that could really change people’s perceptions about how art can be displayed. They’re excited by how it invites art into your home so it can affect you in your own space, at your own pace, and in your own time.

Q: How do you come up with themes for new collections?

The initial set of themes for the Art Store grew naturally out of the creation of The Frame’s art collection. It was a wonderful base to work with and expand from.

Today, themes come with moods. Ideally, we would want anyone to be able to find artwork that fits their mood of the day.

If you take a look at the Art Store’s most popular pieces, you’ll find that the majority of users are drawn to images depicting tranquil scenery, and to the works of the Old Masters. Examples of the former include the Art Store’s most viewed piece, Julia Contacessi’s “Odyssey,” as well as Liesl Marelli’s calming “Ripples of Low Tide II” and Sandy Dooley’s playfully colorful “Painting for Mary.” Classic pieces like Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” and “Almond Blossom” have also struck a chord, which shows that users are most interested in artwork that brings a bit of Nature, or beautiful scenery, into their homes.

Q: Is there a collection in the Art Store that you’re particularly proud of?

I hold the experience of curating the first collection of artworks for The Frame very close to my heart. It was a unique opportunity to collaborate with various artists from around the world to create the most comprehensive, accessible, and stunning museum-quality art collection, exclusively for The Frame.

Through the hands-on experience of curating that collection, I learned what works really well on The Frame. In that way, each collection feels very personal, and each means a lot to me.

Q: In a word, how would you describe your curation process?

Adventurous!

Q: What do you find most exciting about helping people discover incredible works of art?

Like many of my colleagues in the art world, what I find most exciting about The Frame is that it lets art affect you in your own space and in your own time. The Frame has the potential to change our perception of viewing art – how it is approached, collected, and displayed. It allows anyone to learn about art through living with it.

Q: What kinds of artwork would we find on your Frame?

I love to display the drawings of Clare Rojas and ruby onyinyechi amanze, which are available in The Frame’s art collection. Moreover, there are also some wonderful works of art that allow us to bring nature into our homes! Decorating your living space with the landscapes of Cody Cobb, the ‘natural world’ photography of the BBC, and the V&A’s beautiful wallpaper patterns is a fun way to ‘rewild’ yourself during these extraordinary times!

Q: Could you offer any details on what you’re curating right now?

The goal with The Frame was always to create collections that would transcend cultures and backgrounds, amongst other things. These extraordinary times have left us wanting to bring nature closer to our homes. That’s the main idea behind a collection we’re launching soon, called “Biophilia.”

Nature-based collections – for example, artworks depicting flowers in spring or the sea in the summer – have proven particularly popular with Art Store users. I am very much looking forward to seeing our newest nature-inspired collection make its debut.

Illustrator Hyun Kim has been working as an artist for 18 years now, bringing to life the joy found in the everyday with his art – but nowadays at the forefront of his mind are questions about what could be next for him in getting his art to new audiences and how to keep the process exciting. Then Samsung’s lifestyle TV, The Frame, came along.

Kim’s works are imbued with a sense of warmth relatable both to adults and children, conveying fairy-tale-like stories to users of The Frame all over the world.

In order to learn more about how Kim’s work and The Frame came together in such harmony, Samsung Newsroom visited Kim’s workshop.

Creating Magical Worlds for All Ages

Kim’s work expresses those universal childhood experiences that both children and adults cherish, including the beauty of nature, time spent playing with friends and the magical world of children’s toys. “I always try my best to portray the world as seen through the eyes of children, a world of warmth and lovely things,” explained Kim. “I want those who view my art to find comfort in it – just as they would in an embrace from their mother.”

‘Gooly Gooly Friends’ by Hyun Kim. This artwork tells the story of friends having an adventure deep in a forest

This distinct warmth to Kim’s style is how his collaboration with The Frame came about. Since the living room, where many users’ TVs are situated, is the heart of the home and the center of the family space, Kim’s work is capable of appealing to both children and adults at the same time. Users can even choose which specific illustrations of Kim’s are showcased onscreen, so as to make it atmosphere suitable for a mealtime, a child’s birthday party or just a relaxing weekend.

As an artist open to new experiences, this collaboration was particularly meaningful for Kim. “I, myself, had purchased The Frame TV because I was interested in the way it allows users to bring artworks straight into their living room,” said Kim. “I was particularly pleased to then be asked to collaborate with The Frame’s Art Mode artwork collection – it fills me with awe to imagine that there might be someone on the other side of the world taking in my art in their living room.”

QLED Color Quality with an Artist’s Stamp of Approval

Following the invitation to collaborate, the artists involved, including Kim, got to work selecting which pieces were to be included in The Frame’s gallery. Given the wide range of users The Frame has, the artists had to carefully consider how to appeal to all tastes. “As I wanted to choose works of mine that could be enjoyed by all members of the family, I visited many families with children to see which works appealed most,” explained Kim. “The artworks of mine that I ended up choosing are subsequently ones that are easy to understand and very family-friendly.”

In order to ensure that the original feeling of his artworks was delivered through the screen of The Frame, Kim also worked on his artworks’ digital optimization process. When creating physical copies of his artworks, such as prints or exhibition versions, Kim had often been limited with accurate color rendering as print colors can only be realized using the four ink colors of magenta, cyan, yellow and black. However, digital colors have no such limitations, meaning the coloring of the digital versions of Kim’s artworks can be rendered more accurately.

Kim’s artworks were realized for The Frame using QLED Quantum Dot technology which is able to realize 100% of the artwork’s original color, detailing and texture. “When my artworks are printed on paper, the colors often end up being slightly different to my original work,” said Kim. “However, The Frame delivers my artworks colored as I originally did, ensuring that my original intention is conveyed to users. Artists like myself are often very sensitive about the coloration of their artworks in reproduction, but The Frame’s 4K Ultra High Definition has left me very satisfied.”

Getting Closer to Art Without Leaving Your Living Room

“With The Frame, you will find yourself encountering more and more art on the regular,” noted Kim. “As a result, you’ll be able to discover your own personal taste based on the works that you enjoy the most.”

Kim hopes that users of The Frame find his artworks peaceful when they encounter them on The Frame’s Art Mode. “You don’t need a lot of time or thought to understand my artwork,” he noted. “I want to make art pieces that give users the same feeling as comfortable clothing does; I hope my illustrations provide a moment of relaxation in the midst of users’ busy days.”

The homely world of Hyun Kim’s artworks is waiting for viewers in The Frame

* Users looking to discover Kim’s Gooly Gooly Friends in The Frame’s Art Store artwork collection can head to Partner > TONYBUNNY or Artists > GOOLYGOOLY.

When it boils down to it, the true beauty of art is that it transcends barriers – be they cultural or even physical. In a way, the same could be said of The Frame. By blurring the line between artwork and display, Samsung’s lifestyle TV eliminates barriers to our enjoyment of the world’s most impressive art – transforming your living room into your own personal art gallery.

Now, with a pair of campaigns that place more magnificent masterworks mere taps away, Samsung has made it even easier for users to enjoy iconic and inspiring art from the comfort of home.

The first, “#StayAtHome with Arts,” introduces a carefully curated collection of Impressionist art to The Frame’s virtual Art Store. Available for users in the U.S. to enjoy for free from May 6 to June 5,¹ the collection includes a total of 30 renowned works from the likes of Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet. It’s available even without an Art Store subscription, and easily accessible under the Store’s Spotlight tab.

The Art Store’s two-part “Stay Inspired – Home Exhibition” campaign was created out of a belief that inspiration, like innovation, should know no bounds. Currently live in Germany, the photography-focused campaign does just what its name implies: transform users’ homes into virtual exhibition spaces to showcase the inspiring work of world-class photographers.

From April 17 to May 16, users in Germany will enjoy free access to the epic, inspiring and architectural works of Samsung’s Snapshooters – a talented team of nearly two dozen photographers, each with a unique eye for capturing beauty in the everyday. Afterward, the Snapshooters will yield the stage to members of Germany’s own esteemed Professional Association of Freelance Photographers and Film Creators, whose standout shots will be showcased in the Art Store from May 16 to June 17.

Stay tuned to news.samsung.com for more updates on The Frame, the Art Store, and Samsung’s latest lifestyle TV offerings.

¹ Once the promotion period is over, users may elect to retain their selected artwork for a nominal fee.

The Art Store will feature 52 new works of art by world-renowned Russian and European painters. Pieces that are available through this partnership include, but are not limited to : “The Church Parade of the Finnish Life Guards Regiment” by Boris Kustodiev, “Poppy Field” by Claude Monet, “Rave te hiti aamu” by Paul Gauguin, “Houses Along a Road” by Paul Cezanne, “Boulevard Montmartre in Paris” by Camille Pissarro, “Lion Hunt in Morocco” by Eugene Delacroix, and “Meetings of Abraham and Melchizedek” by Peter Paul Rubens.

“Samsung is thrilled to provide even more globally renowned works of art in The Frame’s Art Store,” said Jongsuk Choo, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “The State Hermitage Museum is home to some of the most well-known Russian paintings in the world, and this partnership is another important step forward in helping technology to blend more effortlessly into consumers’ lives.”

As of today, Samsung’s Art Store, offers more than 1,200 works by famous artists and photographers, including Cezanne, Monet, Bosch, Klimt, Van Gogh and many more.¹ The Frame’s Art Store also includes artworks from world-renowned museums and galleries such as the Prado, the Albertina, the Tate, the Uffizi, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Magnum Photos, and LUMAS.

To elevate the artwork that appears on The Frame, the TV can be displayed in multiple ways, from a Studio Stand wall mounted with virtually no gap or cluttered cables with the single invisible connection. 2019 models of The Frame and The Serif will feature QLED picture quality, ensuring that both lifestyle TV sets are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also equipped with unsurpassed image quality in 4K resolution, 100% color volume and high contrast levels.

In addition to partnering with the State Hermitage Museum on exclusive pieces for the Art Store, Samsung displayed more than 29 of its TV models at Cosmocow 2019, which ran from Sept. 5 to Sept. 8 in Moscow. The art fair, one of the most popular events for art collectors, designers and architects in Moscow, drew in more than 3,000 VIP visitors and upwards of 30,000 visitors overall.

Samsung TVs, including lifestyle sets such as The Frame and The Serif and the company’s premium QLED 8K TV models, were integrated throughout the fair in a variety of setups. Models were on display in the VIP lounge, media lounge and in multiple gallery booths, including the ARTIS Gallery, Artwin Gallery, Anna Nova Gallery, Triangle Gallery, MIRRA Gallery and more.

For more information on Samsung’s QLED 8K, The Frame and The Serif, please visit www.samsung.com/tvs.

¹ Samsung’s Art Store is available as a subscription for $5.99 per month in the US or for 4.99 Euro in the European market

Samsung Electronics, in collaboration with renowned photography agency Magnum Photos, announced today the release of 28 specially-curated photographs available exclusively in the ‘Art Store’ on ‘The Frame’ for 2018. As part of the collaboration, four Magnum photographers have been challenged to take a unique, eye-catching photograph every day for one week to showcase how The Frame is able to seamlessly integrate fine art into the everyday lives of consumers. The “Fine Art, Everyday” campaign video will also be unveiled at the IFA2018 Samsung press conference. With a newly-announced 49” model, consumers can select between four different sizes (43”, 49”, 55” and 65”) of ‘The Frame’ that best suits the aesthetic and design of the home.

To complement the exclusive photographs from Magnum Photos, ‘The Frame’ for 2018 includes a new ‘Slideshow’ feature that allows users to create customized collections of art that cycle-through on the screen when the TV is placed in ‘Art Mode’. In addition, the new ‘Favorite’ and ‘Curation’ features allow users to gain easy access to their favorite and specially curated works of art to display on screen without having to sort through hundreds of options. Along with the fine art partnerships, these added options have allowed customers to experience ‘The Frame’ not just as a television, but also as a discovery hub for the world’s most beautiful works of art.

“The Frame’s Art Store is the only digital art platform on TV. We will continue to develop it into a window to communicate with more viewers and a screen that enriches consumer’s everyday lives,” said Sangsook HAN, Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Through the ‘Fine Art, Everyday’ Collection created in collaboration with Magnum Photos, we hope to bring to consumers joy and excitement in discovering new works from the comfort of their own homes.”

The photographs of the four artists that will be showcased in the collection are Alex Webb, Carolyn Drake, David Alan Harvey and Jonas Bendiksen. With their images, these celebrated photographers will show consumers the beauty in everyday life.

• Alex Webb has published 14 books including The Suffering of Light, a survey book of his color work. His most recent book, Memory City, is a meditation about film, time, and the city of Rochester, NY. Webb’s works are best known for vibrant and complex color work, especially from Latin America and the Caribbean that have been featured in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum.
• Carolyn Drake became interested in the approaches to documentary at a young age – specifically the ways history and reality are purposefully shaped and revised over time. Between 2007 and 2013, Drake traveled frequently to Central Asia from her base in Istanbul to work on two projects, which became the highly acclaimed photo books Two Rivers and Wild Pigeon. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, the Lange-Taylor Prize, a World Press Photo award, a Magnum Emergency Fund grant and a Fulbright fellowship.
• David Alan Harvey discovered photography at the age of 11 when he began photographing his family and neighborhood. Harvey was named Magazine Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association in 1978. His work has been exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Nikon Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
• Jonas Bendiksen is a Norwegian photographer who began his career at the age of 19 as an intern at Magnum’s London office, before leaving for Russia to pursue his own work as a photojournalist. In his works, Jonas often focuses on isolated communities and enclaves. He has received numerous awards, including the 2003 Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography, New York, and second place in the Daily Life Stories for World Press Photo, as well as first prize in the Pictures of the Year International Awards. His documentary of life in a Nirobi slum, Kibera, published in the Paris Review, won a National Magazine Award in 2007.

The Frame’s Art Store continues to expand, with more than 850 works of art from some of the world’s most renowned art institutions, including the Albertina, Museo Del Prado Collection, Yellow Korner, Victoria & Albert Museum, Berlin State Museum and more.

Samsung will showcase ‘The Frame’ for 2018 along with its latest television and audio announcements in its booth at IFA, located at the City Cube Berlin on Level 2. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

A recent partnership neatly illustrates the digital art ecosystem in action, as PENUP, a digital art community for S Pen artists, and The Frame lifestyle TV got together to launch a Challenge for the PENUP community. The theme for the Challenge was “Let’s Draw a Picture for Kid’s Room”, with the window for submissions opening on May 16 and closing a month later, on June 15.

The competition was open to all PENUP users and a total of 1,846 drawings were submitted. After 15 days of careful deliberation, the judges awarded 17 entrants with prizes. The first-place winner and runner-up both received their very own The Frame TVs and all winning pictures were placed in The Frame “Art Store”, to be exhibited in front of owners of The Frame TVs across the globe.

First place was awarded to hee_ddo27 (entry shown above) for a charmingly imaginative illustration, with warm colors and a playful depiction of nature. The picture stimulates the mind, leaving the lines between mountain, sea and sky undefined.

The runner-up was nana, with a fairy tale representation of animals popular amongst children (above). The black and white monotone color scheme is minimal and stylish, fitting for its display on The Frame TV and appealing to children and adults alike.

With many artists choosing animals and child-friendly characters as their subjects, soft lines were a recurring feature amongst the winning pictures. The S Pen allowed the artists to express details in a wide variety of different, creating watercolor strokes, pencil lines and cartoon effects that reflect their unique styles.

Check out more of the prize-winning pieces below.

Drawn by CAREUS

Drawn by Elly

Drawn by miram

Drawn by Jeru_art

Drawn by toBACme

Drawn by cici

The S Pen allows anyone to draw and develop their skills on their own digital canvas. Owners of The Frame TV can change the digital artworks they see according to their mood. With this collaboration between PENUP and The Frame TV, the digital world has brought us even closer to the small masterpieces in our everyday lives.

^*The S Pen is available for Galaxy Note smartphones, Galaxy Book, Galaxy Tab S3, Galaxy Tab A with S Pen, Samsung Notebook 9 Pen and several other tablets and laptop devices.

To celebrate and showcase these artists and their talents, PENUP is launching a new monthly Challenge. The winners of the month’s Challenge will receive exciting prizes, ranging from their own The Frame TV, to an opportunity to open their own “store” for their artworks within The Frame’s dedicated Art Store, where users can purchase photos and digital artworks to display via Art Mode.^*

Activated when the TV is switched off, Art Mode allows The Frame to display beautiful works of art that are indistinguishable from the real thing and add elegance to an interior. The Frame’s Art Store serves as both a platform for artists and galleries to showcase their works and a channel for consumers to discover them, with a growing collection of art available to purchase.

Users from across the globe are invited to submit their entries for the Challenge via the PENUP app. The title and theme for the first Challenge is “Let’s Draw a Picture for a Kid’s Room”. The window for submissions opens on May 16 and closes on June 15. The first winner will be announced on July 2.

Please find more information on the PENUP app available for download here, or the official PENUP website.

^*Depending on the winner’s country of residence, the prizes may be offered in the form of a cash prize equivalent in value to the original price of the awards, and the delivery of prizes may depend on the availability of the prize in the given country