Skip to navigation Skip to main content
Back to all news

Yun Hyong-keun: First International Retrospective - Due to the severe weather conditions, the exhibition has been closed as of Friday November 15th.

News content

A collaboration between National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) and the Civic Museums of Venice (MUVE) with the support of the Korea Foundation.
Curator: Kim Inhye, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea

Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, 11 May – 24 November 2019.

Related content

Since everything on earth ultimately returns to earth, everything is just a matter of time. When I remember that this also applies to me and my paintings, it all seems so trifling. But each day that I’m alive, I will record the vestiges of my life as it burns away, which will thus serve as the impetus for staying alive
Yun Hyong-keun, 1990

On the occasion of the 58th edition of the Venice Art Biennale, a major retrospective of Korean artist Yun Hyong-keun (1928 – 2007) will be presented at Palazzo Fortuny by the MMCA (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea) and MUVE (Civic Museums of Venice). One of the most significant Korean artists of the twentieth century, Yun became associated with the influential Dansaekhwa movement: a monochromatic style of painting that appeared in Korea in the 1960s and 70s.

The exhibition will be the first international retrospective show of the artist since his death in 2007 and follows a critically-acclaimed exhibition of his work at MMCA Seoul. Based on traditional elements of Korean beauty and aesthetics, Yun’s canvasses simply and gracefully intertwine individuality and contemporary relevance, never losing the sense of refined modern sophistication which extends its influence across borders and into the rest of the world. His approach is particularly attuned to the nature of Venice: a city “suspended between water and sky”, where the always uncertain boundary between land and water determines the shape of the city. Similarly, this theme is fundamental in Yun’s approach to the canvas: his dense and firm brushstrokes are juxtaposed and overlaid with the pigment that bleeds out from the margins of the solid forms.

Twelve years after his death, this exhibition explores Yun’s life and art with unprecedented range and depth – through diverse materials and displays – bringing to life many details and perspectives that have not yet received adequate attention. Yun Hyong-keun, who has thus far been known primarily within the context of the Dansaekhwa movement in Korea, will be re-explored within the wider context of an international art history.
ed exhibition of his work at MMCA Seoul. The show will focus on Yun’s extraordinary life and work and will present 55 of Yun’s works that span his entire career. One of the highlights of the exhibition will be a meticulous reproduction of Yun’s atelier which will include outstanding works by other artists (Kim Whanki, Jeon Roe-jin and Choi Jongtae), which Yun had in his studio. While recognising his role in the development of Dansaekhwa, this retrospective aims to examine Yun's work in its own right and from a new perspective.

Curated by Kim Inhye, from the MMCA, this exhibition is filled with dark and poignant paintings that magnificently capture the shattered national psyche of the time, highlighted by the heart-breaking works that Yun furiously painted in the wake of the Gwangju Massacre (May 1980). Most notably, the displays feature a wealth of personal materials, including early drawings, a large archive of photos, and strikingly honest excerpts from Yun’s private journals.

To coincide with the exhibition there will be a printed catalogue available for purchase in English and Italian, published by Hatje Cantz.

Representing Galleries

PKM Gallery, (Seoul) - Representative of the Estate of Yun Hyong-keun
Blum & Poe (LA, New York, Tokyo)
Axel Vervoordt Gallery (Antwerp, Hong Kong)
Simon Lee Gallery (London, New York, Hong Kong)
David Zwirner Gallery (New York, London, Hong Kong)

News images

  • Exhibition view at Palazzo Fortuny
    © Laziz Hamani
  • Exhibition view at Palazzo Fortuny
    © Laziz Hamani
  • Exhibition view at Palazzo Fortuny
    © Laziz Hamani
  • Exhibition view at Palazzo Fortuny
    © Laziz Hamani
  • Exhibition view at Palazzo Fortuny
    © Laziz Hamani
  • Exhibition view at Palazzo Fortuny
    © Laziz Hamani
  • Exhibition view at Palazzo Fortuny
    © Laziz Hamani
  • Exhibition view at Palazzo Fortuny
    © Laziz Hamani