Daewon Lee

About the Exhibition

Lee Dae-won (1921-2005) is, alongside Kim Whanki, Park Soo-keun, Chang Ucchin, and Chun Kyung-ja, one of the artists representative of modern and contemporary Korean art. He was selected three times in a row at the Joseon Art Exhibition in his teens, and after holding his first solo exhibition at age 36, went on to hold 19 solo exhibitions in total, yet art-historical research or exhibitions examining his body of work have until now been insufficient. Though known mainly as a landscape painter of 'orchards,' his early career held a distinctive position in the Korean art world of the time, and he had a profound influence on the Korean art scene overall — through his role in forming theories of Korean beauty after liberation, running Bando Gallery, and serving as president of Hongik University. This exhibition examines the background and historical context in which his work took shape, closely tracing the process leading up to his signature orchard paintings, and re-illuminates Lee Dae-won's life and art in multiple dimensions.