Revealing Passionate Letters to His Wife... Lee Jung-seop Loved by Lee Kun-hee

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul 'Lee Kun-hee Collection Special Exhibition: Lee Jung-seop'
About 90 Works Including 80 Donated by Lee Kun-hee's Family and 10 Museum Holdings
Love Letters to His Wife and Postcard Paintings Revealed... Until April 23 Next Year

Memories of the Seaside―Refugees and the First Snow. Early 1950s, oil on paper, 32×49.5cm. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Lee Kun-hee Collection.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “Life is lonely, sorrowful, and longing. How beautiful it is to open clear eyes here and brighten the heart.”

From Lee Jungseop’s poem ‘Words of the Ox’

Lee Jungseop (1916?1956) focused on the ox, which became his alter ego and major theme, during the period he fled from Wonsan to Seogwipo during the Korean War. During the Japanese colonial period, Koreans regarded the ox?steadfast, loyal, diligent, and sacrificial?as their symbol. The artist, who paid attention to the vigorous gestures of the ox rising above hardship and adversity, continuously captured these dynamic moments on canvas.

Over 100 paintings by Lee Jungseop (1916?1956), the most beloved Korean painter, are coming to audiences.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) Seoul branch will hold the ‘MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection Special Exhibition: Lee Jungseop’ starting from the 12th. Among the total 1,488 works donated by the family of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, 80 works by Lee Jungseop and 10 pieces from the museum’s collection will be exhibited.

Lee Jung-seop, Bull, 1950s, 26.4x38.7cm. Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s love for Lee Jungseop was said to be exceptional. Among the works donated to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, there are a total of 104 pieces by Lee Jungseop. These include 19 paintings, 43 postcard paintings, and 27 silver foil paintings. Including 12 pieces donated to the Lee Jungseop Museum in Jeju Island and 8 pieces to the Gwangju Museum of Art, the total reaches 124 works.

Especially notable is the red ‘Hwangso’ (Bull), considered a representative work of Lee Jungseop. It was exhibited at Lee’s solo exhibition in January 1955 and is known to have been purchased by poet Kim Kwang-kyun. The work later passed through Chairman Lee and was donated to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art this time. After the exhibition commemorating the first anniversary of Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s donation at the National Museum of Korea concludes, the condition of the work will be checked to decide whether it will be included in this exhibition.

Paintings such as ‘Memories of the Seaside?Refugees and First Snow,’ which depicts war refugees, birds, and fish in a single canvas amid falling snow, will also be showcased.

The exhibition is broadly divided into Lee Jungseop’s artistic world of the 1940s and 1950s. The first half introduces postcard paintings and pencil drawings created during his study period in Japan and while staying in Wonsan. The latter half features his prime works created while residing in Seoul, Tongyeong, and Daegu, along with letter paintings and silver foil paintings.

Imaginary Animals and People, 1940, Ink Drawing and Coloring on Paper, 9×14cm. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Lee Kun-hee Collection

Most of the postcard paintings introduced this time are passionate love letters to the artist’s wife, Yamamoto Masako. Starting their romance in 1940 and marrying in 1945, Lee Jungseop is known to have sent countless love letters to his wife. The works, which fill one side of official postcards entirely with drawings, express various emotions, creating a fantastic atmosphere and containing erotic sentiments.

Alongside these, works such as ‘Leaves and Two Children,’ ‘Imaginary Animals and Woman,’ ‘Boy,’ ‘Painter Drawing Family,’ and ‘Five Children and String’ will also be introduced. These works contain the artist’s heartfelt emotions, who long endured separation from his beloved family and soothed his loneliness through painting.

Children Playing in Water, Early 1950s, Oil on Paper, 30×40cm. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Lee Kun-hee Collection

The representative work ‘White Ox,’ which had been introduced in publications in the 1970s but remained unseen for a long time and attracted attention since its donation, will not be shown in this special exhibition as it is currently on display at the LACMA exhibition.

The exhibition will run until April 23 next year at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul branch. Admission is free, and reservations can be made on the MMCA website two weeks before the intended visit date. On-site registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis according to the daily total capacity (420 people on weekdays, 600 people on nights with extended hours).