Former Director Hong Ra-hee Visits Lee Ufan Exhibition... A Connection Dating Back to Founder Lee Byung-chul's Era

Lee Ufan's Connection with Lee Byung-chul After Traveling to Japan
Also Interacted with Lee Kun-hee... Lee Ufan First Gained Attention Through Criticism

Ufan Lee's 'Relatum-The Kiss' exhibited at the International Gallery 2023 ⓒ Ufan Lee.

Former Leeum Museum director Hong Ra-hee visited Seoul International Gallery on the 27th, Buddha's Birthday, to view the Lee Ufan solo exhibition.

According to business and art circles, former director Hong visited the Seoul Samcheong-dong International Gallery in Jongno-gu, where the Lee Ufan and Alexander Calder solo exhibitions were being held, on the 27th. She quietly viewed Lee Ufan's works accompanied by two secretaries. It was a day before the Lee Ufan solo exhibition ended. The works exhibited this time were new and old pieces of Lee Ufan's well-known 'Relatum'.

The exhibition planned by International Gallery attracted attention even before its opening. It was a rare opportunity to see works by Lee Ufan, a representative of contemporary Korean art, and Alexander Calder, a legend in the history of contemporary art, in one space.

Former director Hong Ra-hee's visit to this exhibition was also because Lee Ufan has a deep connection with Samsung Group. Lee recalled, "While living in Japan, I helped Chairman Lee Byung-chul for a long time, and his love for antiques was unusually persistent, and he placed great importance on Korean tradition." It is said that Lee Ufan built relationships not only with founder Chairman Lee Byung-chul but also with antique experts such as Hye-gok Choi Sun-woo.

Artist Lee Ufan (left) and Lee Byung-chul, founder of Samsung.

After entering Seoul National University's College of Fine Arts, Lee Ufan left for Japan to study abroad after completing one semester. Settling in Japan, he re-entered Nihon University’s Department of Philosophy in 1961. Former director Hong is also a graduate of Seoul National University’s College of Fine Arts.

Lee first gained attention in Japan through art criticism. His 1971 book published in Japanese, "In Search of Encounters," was considered a must-read in the Japanese art world at the time. Even now, his books such as "The Art of Emptiness" and "Expression of the Void" can be found in bookstores.

Lee Ufan also frequently socialized with Samsung’s former chairman Lee Kun-hee. The two were alumni of Seoul National University High School, with a senior-junior relationship. After Lee Kun-hee passed away in 2020, Lee Ufan wrote a memorial article titled "There Was a Giant" in the March issue of Modern Literature the following year.

The article attracted attention by revealing an anecdote about Chairman Lee Kun-hee. One day, Lee Ufan visited Chairman Lee’s home. Upon entering the living room, he was captivated by the calligraphy of Wandang (Chusa) Kim Jeong-hui on the wall. He said, "Don’t you feel something from this calligraphy? You are a strong person. But this is only suitable for places like museums. It’s not good for your health, so it would be better to remove it from the room," to Chairman Lee. It is said that after Lee Ufan left, Chairman Lee removed Wandang’s calligraphy.

The connection with the Samsung family continued broadly. In 1984, when JoongAng Ilbo celebrated its 20th anniversary, it opened the JoongAng Gallery along with the construction of a new headquarters. At that time, Lee Ufan also served as an advisor for public artworks to be installed in the new building.

Since then, Samsung Group has actively supported Lee Ufan. When Lee held a solo exhibition at the Mus?e d'Orsay in Paris in 1997, Samsung Group sponsored it. Lee received the Ho-Am Prize (Arts category) in 2001 and held solo exhibitions at the Ho-Am Gallery and Rodin Gallery in 2003. The solo exhibition held at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2011 was also sponsored by Samsung Group.

Meanwhile, the Leeum Museum reopened on October 8 last year after being closed due to COVID-19. After former director Hong stepped down, her second daughter Lee Seo-hyun, chairperson of the Samsung Welfare Foundation, took over as the chair of Leeum’s operating committee.