Kim Chong Hak
Prompted in part by a gallerist introducing him as “the Picasso of Korea,” I viewed Kim Chong Hak’s solo exhibition with great interest. Despite his advanced age of 81, he apparently still continues to paint.
The works have a brushwork strong enough to hold their own against the luxurious space of the Tomio Koyama Gallery.
The works that make bold use of white are especially striking.
His use of color is lovely, too.
The compositions are distinctive as well.
I was taken with a small piece accented by a tiny yellow flower, but it had already been sold.
I am always in awe of Tomio Koyama’s curatorial skill.
Artist Profile
Kim Chong Hak
Born in Sinuiju in 1937. From 1987 he lived and worked in Sokcho and Seoul, Korea, but in recent years he has been based in Busan.
He majored in painting at Seoul National University, and after graduating in 1962 he studied printmaking at Tokyo University of the Arts (1968–1970) and at the Pratt Institute in New York (1977). His major solo exhibitions include Muramatsu Gallery (Tokyo, 1970, 1974), Gallery Hyundai (Seoul, Korea, 1998, 2004, 2012, 2013), Johyun Gallery (Busan, Korea, 1999, 2015, 2016), Galerie Gana (Paris, France, 2006), and Gana Art Center (Seoul, Korea, 2006), and in 2011 he held a major retrospective at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), Gwacheon. His major group exhibitions include the Paris Biennale (Paris, France, 1964), “Contemporary Korean Painting” (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Tokyo, 1968), the São Paulo Biennial (São Paulo, Brazil, 1973, 1975), and “83 Invited Exhibition of Contemporary Art Museum” (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Seoul, 1983), and more recently “In Between” (Kumho Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea, 2014) and “The Muse, Her-story” (Whanki Museum, Seoul, Korea, 2016). His works are held in the collections of many museums, including the National Museum of Korea, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, the Seoul Museum of Art, and the Busan Museum of Art, and a Kim Chong Hak Museum (designed by architect Kengo Kuma) is currently being planned in Busan.
