Sketch for Chun's 'Beautiful Woman' found

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Though renowned artist Chun Kyung-ja (1924-2015) passed away, controversy over the authenticity of her painting "Beautiful Woman" never ends.

According to a report by local media Wednesday, a sketch similar to the painting in question was found among some 4,000 pieces in a collection of Chun's works and art supplies donated to Pukyong National University in Busan.

"Beautiful Woman" is a bold, colorful portrait of a woman.

When the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) put the painting on display in 1990, Chun said that it was a fake. "Parents can recognize one's child,” she said. “That is not my painting."

The MMCA, which claims the piece is genuine, is said to have acquired it from a confiscated collection of art.

When Chun passed away last August, the artist's children brought up the controversy again to clear her name. They filed a lawsuit against the MMCA in March, claiming that the museum has abused the painter's rights and demanding it be taken down.

While inspecting the donated collection, a gallery owner found the sketch which has many similarities to "Beautiful Woman," including the composition of a woman looking straight up and details of the eyes and lips and the lines connecting the figure’s face and neck.

The collection was donated by Chun's eldest daughter Lee Hye-seon who took care of the artist in her later years. However, Lee withdrew the donated items just before the opening of a temporary gallery dedicated to Chun, citing that the venue lacked proper temperature, humidity and ventilation controls.

However, lawyer Bae Keum-ja, who represents Chun's family, released a statement the same day, clarifying that the sketch was for another Chun painting.

"The sketch, described as a study for Beautiful Woman, was drawn in 1976 modeled after Chun's second daughter. It is known as a study for Chun's 1981 work A Woman with Roses," Bae said in the statement.

The attorney said the sketch rather proves that "Beautiful Woman" is a forgery as it does not have Chun's signature highlight on the nose. "The fabricator forged the composition, but he could not duplicate Chun's unique texture and profound use of color."