'Forgeries' of paintings by Lee Jung-seop and Park Soo-keun exhibited at the largest art museum in the US West Coast

Los Angeles County Museum 'Treasures of Korea' Exhibition
Amid Forgery Controversy, Korean Experts Invited... Artwork Appraisal & Discussion
Four Works by Lee Jung-seop and Park Soo-keun, Including Antique Art, Suspected as 'Forgeries'

At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the largest art museum in the western United States, experts have raised opinions that works attributed to Lee Jung-seop and Park Soo-keun exhibited in the 'Treasures of Korea' exhibition held until the 30th are forgeries. Other works, including paintings and ceramics from the Joseon Dynasty displayed together, were also suggested to be forgeries. The museum acknowledged the mistake and announced it would cancel the publication of the exhibition catalog.

'Waikiki Beach,' introduced and exhibited as a painting by Park Soo-keun at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) exhibition, was questioned as a forgery by Korean experts.
[Photo by LACMA]

According to the art world on the 1st, when suspicions of forgery arose regarding the Lee Jung-seop and Park Soo-keun paintings exhibited in the 'Treasures of Korea: The Chester & Cameron Jang Collection,' held from February to June at LACMA, the museum invited four Korean experts on the 26th to conduct a special appraisal and hold a meeting. Present at the site were Hong Sun-pyo, Professor Emeritus at Ewha Womans University; Lee Dong-guk, Director of the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum; Tae Hyun-sun, curator at the Samsung Museum of Art Leeum; and Kim Sun-hee, former Director of the Busan Museum of Art, who examined the authenticity of the works. It is unusual for an American museum to invite Korean experts to verify the authenticity of artworks and hold a meeting.

The Korean experts who appraised the works expressed opinions that the two pieces attributed to Lee Jung-seop and Park Soo-keun were forgeries. The tile work labeled as Lee Jung-seop’s 'Climbing Children' is explained to be a horizontal replica of Lee Jung-seop’s original vertical painting from the 1950s titled 'Children Playing Jangdae Nori.' The work introduced as Lee Jung-seop’s 'Boy Riding an Ox' was also judged to be a forgery. The unique technique used by the artist to depict the ox’s eyes and the depiction of the body differ, and the stroke of the 'ㅅ' character in the signature 'Jung-seop' is cut off, with the space not being blank, making it difficult to consider it an authentic signature.

Regarding Park Soo-keun’s 'Three Women and Children' and 'Waikiki Beach,' opinions were also raised that these are clearly patchwork paintings different from the originals. However, some opinions suggested that there might be a possibility that the artist produced unsigned commissioned works based on photographs at the request of American collectors at the time.

Additionally, the works by Lee In-mun and Kim Myung-guk exhibited in the ancient art section are presumed to be by unknown artists or Chinese paintings. Furthermore, most of the celadon and white porcelain displayed together were identified as mid-20th century or later replicas, highlighting a lack of basic preparation in verifying the artist’s style and seals during the exhibition planning stage.

Exhibition hall view of 'Treasures of Korea: The Collections of Chester and Cameron Jang' held at LACMA. Photo by Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange

Since the exhibition opened on February 25, suspicions of forgery regarding some of the exhibited works were continuously raised from the early stages. In the domestic art world, the Korea Art Dealers Association sent an inquiry letter in April requesting clarification on the exhibition process and authenticity, bringing the issue to light. However, it was only in June, after the exhibition had ended, that Korean experts were invited to conduct appraisals and hold a meeting.

This forgery incident clearly demonstrates that the understanding and verification level of Korean art in the Western world remain at a rudimentary stage.

Michael Govan, Director of LACMA, stated, "We will cancel the publication of the exhibition catalog." Regarding the lack of Korean expert appraisal during the exhibition planning stage, he explained, "This exhibition was initiated as a courtesy to the donor."

In 2021, LACMA received a donation of 100 items, including paintings, ceramics, and scholar’s stones, from Korean-American Chester Jang and his son Cameron Jang. This exhibition was a special exhibition selecting and displaying 35 items from the donation, including old calligraphy and paintings and modern artworks.