The Seoul Museum is preparing to launch a comprehensive posthumous retrospective celebrating the artistic achievements of Chun Kyung-ja (1924-2015), one of South Korea's most influential female artists who forged an unconventional artistic path through her vibrant and fantastical paintings. The exhibition, titled "The 101st Page of My Sad Legend," commemorates the 10th anniversary of her death and represents the largest showcase of her work since her final 2006 exhibition, "The 82 Beautiful Pages of My Life."
The retrospective brings together approximately 80 color paintings, which constitute the most significant genre of her artistic career, alongside an extensive collection of archival materials including her personal writings and book illustrations. Museum officials announced on Tuesday that the exhibition aims to reassess her artistic legacy, particularly highlighting her distinction as "the first Korean artist" to donate the copyrights of her works to society for public benefit.
Ahn Byung-gwang, the museum's founder, expressed the emotional significance behind organizing this exhibition. "At a time when it can take a lifetime to build a reputation but only a second to lose it, the thought that our opportunity to reevaluate was expiring was heart-wrenching," he explained. "That is the reason we have prepared this exhibition."
Chun Kyung-ja earned recognition as one of South Korea's most original painters, celebrated for creating a unique artistic universe filled with fantasy and mythical elements, with particular acclaim for her deeply emotional portraits of women. However, her career was also marked by dramatic controversy, as she became embroiled in a perplexing forgery scandal that began in 1991. The dispute centered around a painting that Chun vehemently denied creating, despite strong assertions from art critics who insisted on its authenticity.
The controversy led to Chun's abrupt departure from the Korean art scene in the mid-1990s. She famously declared regarding the disputed painting, "My work is like my own blood, infused with my soul. What parent would ever fail to recognize their own child? I did not paint that picture." In 1998, demonstrating her commitment to preserving her artistic legacy, she donated over 90 pieces of her paintings along with their copyrights to the Seoul Museum of Art, requesting that they be preserved for public enjoyment.
While Chun is best known for her compelling portraits of women, the current exhibition showcases the remarkable breadth of her artistic repertoire. Among the featured works is "Spring Rain," a 1966 painting depicting her hometown of Goheung, a southwestern coastal county in South Jeolla Province. Rendered in luminous blue tones, this masterpiece evokes a dreamlike atmosphere by weaving together a rich composition featuring dynamic waves, fishing boats, women balancing baskets on their heads, fully blossomed trees, and mountain scenery.
The exhibition also reveals Chun's passion for cinema, reflecting her background as a film enthusiast who once aspired to become an actress. She found solace in painting subjects from the film industry, creating works that paid homage to legendary screen icons. Her piece "Door of Youth" was modeled after the enigmatic Swedish-born American actress Greta Garbo (1905-90), while her 1973 painting "Pansy" portrays the iconic Marilyn Monroe, demonstrating her ability to capture the essence of these cultural figures through her distinctive artistic lens.
"The 101st Page of My Sad Legend" opens to the public on Wednesday and will continue through January 25, offering visitors an extended opportunity to explore the complex artistic journey of one of Korea's most significant female artists. The exhibition provides a comprehensive reassessment of Chun Kyung-ja's contributions to Korean art and her pioneering role in establishing a new paradigm for artistic philanthropy in the country.
