Hoam Museum of Art showcases Kim Whanki's 40-year journey toward lyrical abstraction, dot paintings

Kim Whanki's "5-IV-71 #200" (1971), nicknamed "Universe" / Courtesy of Whanki Foundation, Whanki Museum

By Park Han-sol

Modern abstract master Kim Whanki / Courtesy of Whanki Foundation, Whanki Museum

The modern Korean art world hails Kim Whanki (1913-74), who forged his legacy through pointillist paintings awash with an infinite constellation of dots, as one of the country's greatest abstract masters.

In the last decade, his name has regularly made headlines following renewed global attention to the "dansaekhwa" (monochrome painting) movement of the 1970s. And in 2019, Kim's 1971 diptych, "Universe 5-IV-71 #200," made history as the most expensive Korean art piece ever auctioned, fetching 13.2 billion won (HK$88 million) at Christie's Hong Kong.

However, the latest blockbuster exhibition, devoted to the modern master at the Hoam Museum of Art in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province is all about asking the audience the following question: How well do we really know one of the "most recognizable" artists in Korea?

"a dot a sky_kim whanki," mounted to commemorate the reopening of the museum after its 18-month renovation, offers a rare, full view of the painter's 40-year journey toward abstraction.

According to the show's curator Tae Hyun-seon, the retrospective strives to characterize Kim's art as a single formative evolution, thus steering away from the popular tendency to simplify his oeuvre into two phases ― figurative art prior to dot paintings and abstraction thereafter.

Kim Whanki's "Rondo" (1938) / Courtesy of Whanki Foundation, Whanki Museum

Among some 120 pieces on view, 88 are oil paintings, including the works that were previously only known to exist through catalogs and are being exhibited for the first time.

The show opens with the artist's early paintings from the mid-1930s upon his return from Japan after years of studies, where he was exposed to a number of European experimental movements from Cubism to Surrealism. Works like "Rondo" (1938), "Flowers" (late 1930s) and "Window" (1940) visualize his initial stylistic exploration of geometric abstraction and compositions.

Kim Whanki's "The Moon and Plum Blossoms" (1953-54) / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol

However, as indicated by the section's title, "Moon/Jars," the true highlights here are the paintings that embody Kim's obsessive fascination with moon jars ― voluminous, moon-like pottery items produced during the late Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).

Known for their minimalist yet entrancing aesthetic, these white vases regularly make appearances in his lyrically abstract depiction of the tranquil moonlit sky ― as in "White Porcelain and Flowers" (1949), "The Moon and Jar" (1952) and "La Lune ― Symphonie en Blanc" (1954).

He extolled the beauty of moon jars both through his paintings and writings, eventually transforming his house, nicknamed "Suhyangsanbang," in northern Seoul's Seongbuk District into a packed storage of his treasured collection. A late 17th-century bluish-white vessel that was once collected by the artist himself is on display at the museum for the first time.

As Kim's passion for the moon jars grew, so did his interest in other classical East Asian motifs such as mountain ridges, plum blossoms, cranes and deer.

Installation view of "a dot a sky_kim whanki" at the Hoam Museum of Art in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Whanki Foundation, Whanki Museum

They subsequently formed the building blocks of his compositions of lines, shapes and planes of color that would later become emblematic of his abstract style and are especially witnessed in his pieces born during and after his time in Paris in the late 1950s ― "Song of Eternity" (1957), "Flying Birds" (1957) and the nearly 6-meter-wide "Women and Jars" (1960).

"One notable element in 'Flying Birds' is a group of colorful squares seen on the surface of the moon in the background," Tae said. "When you look at a series of his paintings produced during this time, those shapes start varying in sizes and eventually appear as spots and specks on the canvas ― thus hinting at the arrival of his next creative stage of dot paintings."

Kim Whanki's "Where, in What Form, Shall We Meet Again 16-IV-70 #166" (1970) / Courtesy of Whanki Foundation, Whanki Museum

Starting in 1963, the painter's so-called New York period ushered in a now instantly recognizable creative era ― an endless blanket of dots lyrically dominating the canvas and paper.

While he initially began with confidence at the age of 50 in his ability to capture the inherently Korean aesthetics through his depiction of moons and mountains, the New York art circle instead viewed his works to be a mere derivative of Abstract Expressionism of the West.

The harsh realization was what led Kim to actively experiment with the simplified compositions of lines, dots and planes in place of East Asian motifs. In his Jan. 24, 1965 diary entry, he wrote, "Let me push further ahead with (my usage of) lines and dots." Two years later, he continued telling himself to explore "the flying specks" and what they could potentially represent.

A visitor takes a look at Kim Whanki's "Heaven and Earth 24-IX-73 #320" (1973) on view as part of "a dot a sky_kim whanki" at the Hoam Museum of Art. Newsis

The show's second section, "Big Small Dot," offers a contemplative moment of respite as it fills itself with Kim's masterpieces ― a climactic aggregation of his decades-long journey toward abstraction.

"Visitors are invited to go on a spiritual promenade as they communicate with each dot painting," the curator said.

Whereas "Where, in What Form, Shall We Meet Again 16-IV-70 #166" (1970) is characterized by horizontal rows of deep blue dots, his subsequent pieces add other dynamic twists in terms of colors, rhythmic curves and overlapping planes ― as in "Universe" (1971), "23-XII-71 #218" (1971), "Echo of Mountain 19-II-73 #307" (1973) and "Heaven and Earth 24-IX-73 #320" (1973).

Kim Whanki's "23-XII-71 #218" (1971) / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol

Nevertheless, the show ends on a somber note as black and dark gray dot paintings dominate the last stage of his creative exploration, just months before he died of a stroke at the age of 61 in 1974.

Next to "17-VI-74 #337," the second to last painting Kim produced before his death, is the printed text from his June 16, 1974 diary entry: "My death is imminent, so what should I think about? My dreams are infinite, yet there isn't enough time."

Kim Whanki's scrapbook from the 1950s / Courtesy of Whanki Foundation, Whanki Museum

The opening of "a dot a sky_kim whanki" at the Hoam Museum of Art indicates the new direction the institution aims to head in the future, according to deputy director Kim Sung-won.

Originally established in 1982 to house the vast collection of traditional Korean artifacts owned by Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chul, also known by the moniker Hoam, its role up until now has been limited to showcasing ancient relics in its permanent exhibits ― in contrast to its more visible counterpart the Leeum Museum of Art in southern Seoul.

"With its first major renovation in 40 years, the museum has transformed into a space that will display artworks from all periods ― from the traditional to the modern and the contemporary ― like the Leeum," she said.

Kim Whanki's retrospective runs through Sept. 10.