Park Soo-keun retrospective at Gallery Hyundai
By Ines Min
Staff Reporter
In terms of modern art, every country has had their 15 minutes in spotlight, granted by the skills of an internationally-known name: Spain's Pablo Picasso, France's Henri Matisse, the United States' Norman Rockwell.
And, though you may or may not have heard of him yet, Korea had Park Soo-keun.
In honor of Korea's quintessential modern painter's death 45 years ago, Gallery Hyundai in Sagan-dong, Seoul, is opening a commemorative exhibition of 40 works that date to the 1950s, from Friday through May 30. In conjunction with the exhibition, the gallery is publishing translated essays by a range of art critics, in order to help broaden the English materials available on Park.
Park Soo-keun lived a life of perseverance and hardship, struggling to stay true to his passion while finding the means to even create his work. Though he is one of the most well-known artists within the peninsula, his pieces have received little recognition overseas in comparison to those of Nam June Paik and more contemporary artists.
Yet Park's genre-defying style ―
May 3, 2010