As the public nonprofit foundation, the Whanki Foundation aims to research, exhibit, and publish about KIM Whanki’s art world; and collects and keeps all articles left by KIM Whanki and KIM HyangAn in managing their copyrights and trademarks. The Foundation also encourages and supports both national and international artists for their practice as well as educational programs.
Beginning of KIM HyangAn’s memorial projects of KIM Whanki and the young artist supports in Paris and New York ever since he died in 1974, the Whanki Foundation established in New York in 1979. For setting up the Whanki Museum to preserve and manage Whanki’s artworks permanently, the headquarter of the Whanki Foundation moved to Seoul in 1989.

The Whanki Museum holds approximately 2,500 works which include KIM Whanki’s art works, articles, resources, and contemporary artworks by the Whanki Foundation artists. By researching, exhibiting, publishing, and educating the museum collections, the Whanki museum endeavors to deliver the museum roles to be a platform for artistic creations, place for public education and cultural enjoyment for the public. As for the main activities of the Whanki foundation, “The special exhibition of the Whanki Foundation artists” and the “Prix Whanki” has continued since the mid 1970s and supports the various artists group all around the world.