Born in Liwon, Hamgyeongnam-do, South Korea, 1926
Died in 2013
Education
MFA, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, 1957
BFA, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, 1951
One-Person Exhibitions
2022
Annely Juda Fine Art, London, UK
Gestures in Hanji, Tina Kim Gallery, New York, NY
2021
Kukje Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
Blum & Poe, Tokyo, Japan
2017
Various Whites, Kukje Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2016
Blum & Poe, New York, NY
2015
Kukje Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2014
1st Memorial Exhibition: Kwon Young-woo, Gallery EM, Seoul, South Korea
2007
Kwon Young-woo Retrospective, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
2004
Gwangju Art Award, Gwangju, South Korea
Suga Gallery, Busan, South Korea
2002
Gana Art Center, Seoul, South Korea
2000
Gana Art Center, Seoul, South Korea
1998
Artist of the Year, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea
1993
World Gallery, Busan, South Korea
1992
Hyundai Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
1990
Ten Years in Paris, Ho-Am Art Museum, Seoul, South Korea
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
Hanil Gallery, Busan, South Korea
1987
Artcore Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Bridgestone Gallery, Toronto, Canada
1986
Hyundai Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
1984
Samil Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1982
Gallery Hyundai, Seoul, South Korea
1980
Art Forum International Gallery, Paris, France
Korean Cultural Center, Paris, France
1977
Shinsegae Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
1976
Jacques Massol Galerie, Paris, France
1974
Myeongdong Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
1966
Shinsegae Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
Group Exhibitions
2023
Lineages: Korean Art at The Met, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
2020
Dansaekhwa, The Columns Gallery, Singapore
2021
The Middle Land: Unfolding Times to Spread Out Become a Land, ARKO Art Center, Seoul, South Korea
DNA: Dynamic & Alive Korean Art, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, Seoul, South Korea
Lunar Sonata: Hanji Works and Contemporary Art, Jeonbuk Museum of Art, Wanju-gun, South Korea
2019
Landlord Colors: On Art, Economy, and Materiality, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI
2018
Korea: Five Artists, Five Hinsek ‘White’, Tokyo Gallery + BTAP, Tokyo, Japan
Topologies, curated by Mika Yoshitake, The Warehouse, Dallas TX
Korean Abstract Art: Kim Whanki and Dansaekhwa, Powerlong Art Museum, Shanghai, China
2017
Systemic Paper, Blum & Poe, Tokyo, Japan
Looking into Korean Art II: Dansaekhwa, Museum San, Wonju, South Korea
Rhythm in Monochrome: Korean Abstract Painting, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan Who Can Be Strangers? The Art of Mono-ha and Dansaekhwa, Blum & Poe at Adrian Rosenfeld Gallery, San Francisco, CA
The Weight of Lightness: Ink Art at M+, M+ Pavilion, Hong Kong, China
2016
Dansaekhwa and Minimalism, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA; traveled to Blum & Poe, New York, NY
When Process Becomes Form: Dansaekhwa and Korean Abstraction, Boghossian Foundation – Villa Empain, Brussels, Belgium
Korean Abstract Art: Early Works, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, NY
2015
45th Anniversary of Gallery Hyundai: Korean Abstract Painting, Gallery Hyundai, Seoul, South
Korea
Dansaekhwa, Palazzo Contarini-Polignac, Venice, Italy
2014
The Artistic Spirits of Modern Artists on Paper, Gallery Hyundai, Seoul, South Korea
From All Sides: Tansaekhwa on Abstraction, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
2012
Dansaekhwa: Korean Monochrome Painting, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea
34th Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
2011
Artist of the Year 1995-2010, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea
Chang Chang Life, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Ansan, South Korea
2010
Korean & Japanese Contemporary Art, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
32nd Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
2009
Korea-South America Contemporary Art, Gallery Bellarte, Seoul, South Korea
31st Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
2008
30th Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
2007
Korean Paintings 1953–2007, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
Homage 100: Korean Contemporary Art 1970–2007, Korea Art Center, Busan, South Korea
Woljeon Museum of Art, Icheon, South Korea
29th Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
2006
The Guardians of the Tradition, Hankuk Art Museum, Yongin, South Korea
28th Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
2005
Korean & Japanese Contemporary Art, Sejong Center, Seoul, South Korea
Hangookhwa VISION, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, South Korea
Transcending Time: Traditional and Contemporary, Seoul, South Korea
Seoul Fine Arts, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
4th Shenzhen International Ink Painting Biennale, Shenzhen, China
Alchemy of Daily Life, Christchurch Art Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand
27th Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
2004
Korean & Japanese Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
26th Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
2003
25th Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
2002
Age of Philosophy and Aesthetics: Korean Contemporary Art from the 1970s to mid
1980s, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea
Understanding of Abstract Art, Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul, South Korea
Aesthetics in Monochrome Paintings, Hanwon Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
Korean & Japanese Contemporary Art, Yokohama, Japan
24th Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
2001
International Paper Artists, Jeonju, South Korea
Danwon Art Museum, Ansan, South Korea
Journey of Contemporary Korean Art of the 21st Century, Sejong Center, Seoul, South Korea
23rd Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
2000
The 50th Anniversary of Seoul National University, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
Senior Artists, Korean Artists Association, Seoul, South Korea
22nd Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
1999
50 Years of Korean Art, Seoul, South Korea
21st Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
1998
Busan Contemporary Art 98, Busan, South Korea
20th Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
Seoul Grand Art Exhibition, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
1997
Horizon of Korean Art, Gallery Wooduk, Seoul, South Korea
19th Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
Seoul Grand Art Exhibition, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
1996
60th Anniversary of Hooso Group, Seoul, South Korea
Spirit of Korean Abstract Painting Ho-Am Art Museum, Seoul, South Korea
Evolution, Seonam Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
18th Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, South Korea
Seoul Grand Art Exhibition, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
1995
Korean Contemporary Art, Korea Foundation, Beijing, China
MANIF Seoul International Art Fair 1995, Seoul, South Korea
Korean Contemporary Paintings, Hanlim Gallery, Daejeon, South Korea
The 100 Portraits, Seoul Museum, Seoul, South Korea
The 1995 Year of the Art: Korean Contemporary Art, Paris, France
17th Fine Art Exhibition, National Academy of Arts, Seoul, Busan, Jeju, South Korea
Seoul Grand Art Exhibition, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
1994
Twenty Leading Artists Today, Ho-Am Art Museum, Seoul, South Korea
19th École de Seoul, Kwanhoon Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
Seoul International Contemporary Art Festival, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary
Art, Gwacheon, South Korea
Seoul Grand Art Exhibition, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
1993
Eleven Leading Artists Today, Jean Art Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
18th École de Seoul, Kwanhoon Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
Present and Past of Korean Art, Hanlim Gallery, Daejeon, South Korea
Seoul Grand Art Exhibition, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
1992
Groping for the Identity of Korean Contemporary Art, Hanwon Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
Generations of Korean Painting, Gallery Focus, Seoul, South Korea
Korean Contemporary Art in Japan, Shimonoseki, Nakata, Kasama, Mie, Japan
Lines of Tradition: Korean Spirit, Seonam Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
Seoul Grand Art Exhibition, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
1991
25 Korean Contemporary Artists, Hyundai Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
Korean Contemporary Art, Sonjae Museum of Contemporary Art, Gyeongju, South Korea
Korean Contemporary Paintings, National Museum Zagreb, Zagreb, Yugoslavia; traveled to Cankarjev Hall, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia; Collegium Artisticum, Sarajevo, Yugoslavia; Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Seoul Grand Art Exhibition, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
1990
Footsteps of 47 Artists for Freedom of Journalism, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, South Korea
Seoul Grand Art Exhibition, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
1989
Salon de Mai, Paris, France
1988
Salon de Mai, Paris, France
Art Vision ’88 France, Paris, France
Chonsun Daily, Seoul, South Korea
Salon Grands et jeunes d’aujourd’hui, Paris, France
’88 Seoul Olympics: International Contemporary Art Festival, Seoul, South Korea
1987
Salon Grands et jeunes d’aujourd’hui, Paris, France
1986
Exposition: SEOUL-PARIS, Press Center Gallery, Seoul; Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Paris, France
1985
Salon de Mai, Paris, France
Korean Contemporary Art of Today, Ville Français Museum, Nice, France
Salon Grands et jeunes d’aujourd’hui, Paris, France
1984
Whiteness and Eight Korean Contemporary Artists, France Cultural Center, Seoul, South Korea
Salon Grands et jeunes d’aujourd’hui, Paris, France
Four Korean Artists, Bateau Laboire, Paris, France
23 Artists of Today, Dongbang Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
1983
Salon de Mai, Paris, France
Korean Contemporary Art Exhibition of the 1970s, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art; traveled to
Tochigi Municipal Museum of Art, Tochigi, Japan; National Museum of Contemporary Art, Osaka, Japan; Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo, Japan; Fukuoka City Museum, Fukuoka, Japan
Korean Resident Artists in France, Korean Cultural Center, Paris, France
Salon Grands et jeunes d’aujourd’hui, Paris, France
Seven Korean Contemporary Artists, Jean Art Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
1982
The Art of Contemporary Paper: Korea and Japan, Deoksugung Art Museum, Seoul; traveled to Kyoto Municipal Museum, Kyoto, Japan; Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan; Kumamoto Folk Museum, Kumamoto, Japan; National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
Korean Resident Artists in France, Korean Cultural Center, Paris, France
1981
Salon de Mai, Paris, France
Works on Paper: Korean Contemporary Drawings, Donsanbang Gallery, Seoul, South Korea;
traveled to LA Artcore, Los Angeles, CA
Korean Resident Artists in France, Korean Cultural Center, Paris, France
Salon Grands et jeunes d’aujourd’hui, Paris, France
1980
Salon de Realité Nouvelle, Paris, France
Salon de Mai, Paris, France
Cité Internationale Des Arts, Paris, France
Korean Engraving Art, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea
Five Korean Resident Artists in France, Hangook Gallery, New York, NY
Asia Contemporary Art Festival Part II, Fukuoka Museum of Art, Fukuoka, Japan
1979
Korean Art: Today’s Methods, Korean Culture and Arts Foundation Art Center, Seoul, South Korea
Works on Paper, Jean Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
Cité International Des Arts, Paris, France
Salon Sude 92, Paris, France
1978
Joongang Art Contest Prizewinners, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea
Works on Paper, Gallery Gyunji, Seoul, South Korea
Trends in Korean Contemporary Art of the Last 20 Years, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
The 4th École de Seoul, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
Secondes Recontres Internationales d’Art Contemporain, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, France
1977
Eastern Painting, Shinsegae Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
Korea: Facet of Contemporary Art, Tokyo Central Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Korean Contemporary Art, Nagoya Beaux-Arts Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
Korean Contemporary Paintings, Taipei National Ancient Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
Korea: Contemporary 10 Artists, Korea UNESCO Center, Seoul, South Korea
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1976
Contemporary Eastern Painting, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea
Independent Artists, Korean Art Association, Seoul, South Korea
Seoul Contemporary Art Festival, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
Grand Prize Exhibition of Korean Art, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South
Korea
Contemporary Art Festival, Daejon, Busan, Gwangju, Gangwon, and Jeonbuk, South Korea
The 2nd École de Seoul, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1975
Five Kinds of White, Tokyo Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Cité Internationale Des Arts, Paris, France
Seoul in the 70s, Seoul, South Korea
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1973
Korean Contemporary Art, 1957–1972: Plasticity and Antiplasticity, Myongdong Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
12th São Paulo Biennale, São Paulo Contemporary Art Museum, São Paulo, Brazil
Grand Prize Exhibition of Korean Art, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
100 Korean Contemporary Artists, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea
13 Contemporary Artists, Signum Gallery, Kyoto, Japan
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1972
Korean Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan; traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii
Grand Prize Exhibition of Korean Art, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1971
2nd Triennale, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, India
Grand Prize Exhibition of Korean Art, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1970
Shinsegae Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
Grand Prize Exhibition of Korean Art, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South
Korea
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1965
8th Japan International Art Exhibition, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1964
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1963
Korean Contemporary Artists Exhibition, Press Center Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1962
International Freedom Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1961
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1960
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1959
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1958
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1957
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
1956
The Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Catalogues
2023
Lineages: Korean Art at The Met. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2023, 43–45.
2019
Yoshitake, Mika. Topologies. Dallas: The Warehouse, 2019, 104.
2015
Kee, Joan. From All Sides: Tansaekhwa on Abstraction. Los Angeles: Blum & Poe, 2015.
Lee, Youngwoo, ed. Dansaekhwa. Texts by Youngwoo Lee, Doryun Chong, Jeremy Lewison, Joan Kee, Mika Yoshitake, Melissa Chiu, Alexandra Munroe, Yoon Jin Sup, Tina Kim. Seoul: Kukje Gallery; New York: Tina Kim Gallery, 2015.
2013
Kee, Joan. Contemporary Korean Art: Tansaekhwa and the Urgency of Method. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2013.
2008
Kee, Joan. “Points, Lines, Encounters, Worlds: Tansaekhwa and the Formation of Contemporary Korean Art.” PhD diss., New York University, 2008.
2007
Choi Kwang-jin, ed. Kwon Young-woo. Seoul: Image Art Research Institute, 2007.
Kwon Young-woo: Life Work in Paper. Seoul: Seoul Museum of Art, 2007.
2004
Kwon Young-woo. Gwangju, Korea: Uijae Museum of Korean Art, 2004.
1998
Artist of the Year 1998: Kwon Young-woo. Gwacheon, South Korea: National Museum of Contemporary Art, 1998.
1990
Kwon Young-woo. Seoul: Ho-Am Gallery, 1990.
1986
Kwon Young-woo. Seoul: Gallery Hyundai, 1986
Articles & Reviews
2022
Yau, John. “Abstractions That Record the Scars of Trauma.” Hyperallergic.com, April 14, 2022.
2021
Han-sol, Park. “Dansaekhwa Artist’s Works Experiment with ‘Hanji’ as Both Material and Method.” KoreaTimes.co.kr, December 15, 2021.
"What’s up in Tokyo: April–May 2021." Artasiapacific.com, April 23, 2021.
"Kwon Young-woo." Whitewall.art, April 16, 2021.
2018
"The Weight of Lightness: Ink Art at M+." Art Asia Pacific 107 (Mar/Apr 2018): 155.
2017 Mee-yoo, Kwon. "Kwon Young-woo Discovers 'Koreanness' in Paper." The Korea Times,
March 19, 2017.
Munro, Stuart. “Systemic Paper at Blum & Poe, Tokyo.” moussemagazine.it, May 31, 2017.
"Paper as a Main Medium in Kwon Young-woo, Rakuko Naito, and Dorothea Rockburne's Works at Blum & Poe."Thisispaper (blog), June 13, 2017.
2016
Bent, Siobhan, and Denise Chu. "Peak Monochrome." ArtAsiaPacific vol. 11 (Almanac 2016): 69.
Creahan, D. Review of "Dansaekhwa & Minimalism." Blum & Poe, Los Angeles. ArtObserved.com, February 26, 2016.
Goldman, Edward. "Minimalism, Maximalism, and a Severed Head." Huffington Post, February 23, 2016.
Goldman, Edward. "Minimalism, Maximalism, and a Severed Head." KCRW.com, February 22, 2016.
Hegert, Natalie. “The Rise of Dansaekwha.” MutualArt.com, January 20, 2016.
Lee Woo-young. "Dansaekhwa in Limelight in Art Hubs." Korea Herald, April 20, 2016.
Liles, Robert. "Painting Between Past and Future: Kwon Young-woo." ArtAsiaPacific 97 (March/April 2016): 107-113.
Martinique, Elena. "Blum and Poe Presents the First Survey of Korean Monochrome Painting Dansaekhwa With American Minimalism." Widewalls.ch, April 2016.
Rubio, Lorraine. "Three Artists Making Their NYC Debut." ArtZealous (blog), June 7, 2016.
Sharp, Rob. “A Surging Auction Market Points to Korean Minimalism as the Next Gutai.” Artsy.net, January 16, 2016.
Tomii, Reiko. "Korean Tansaekhwa." Shin Bijutsu Shinbun, July 1, 2016 (paper), July 11, 2016 (online).
Wee, Darryl. "Dansaekhwa and Korean Abstraction at Boghossian Foundation in Brussels." BlouinArtinfo.com, February 16, 2016.
2015
“How ‘The School of White’ Became Auction Favorites.” CNN, December 9, 2015.
Morgan, Robert C. "Korea's Monochrome Turns Global." Asian Art News no. 6, vol. 25 (Nov/Dec 2015): 50-53.
Museum and Public Collections
British Museum, London, UK
Chase Bank, New York, NY
Chosun Hotel, Seoul, South Korea
Daejeon City Museum, Daejeon, South Korea
France Ministry of Culture, Seoul, South Korea
Hanlim Museum, Daejeon, South Korea
Korean Embassy, Copenhagen, Denmark
Korean Embassy, Ottawa, Canada
Korean Embassy, Washington D.C.
Korean Railway Office, Seoul, South Korea
M+, Hong Kong, China
Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea
National Library, Seoul, South Korea
Plaza Hotel, Seoul, South Korea
Samsung Museum Leeum, Seoul, South Korea
Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea
Seoul University Museum, Seoul, South Korea