Over 120 Works from Early to Late Periods
At Seoul Arts Center Until October 2
A retrospective exhibition exploring the artistic world of Pyeongbo Seoh Heehwan (1934?1995), the first artist to receive the Presidential Award for Korean calligraphy, will be held at the Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum in the Seoul Arts Center. Commemorating the 30th anniversary of his passing, this large-scale retrospective will present, for the first time, over 120 works spanning from Seoh Heehwan's early to late periods, along with a diverse range of archival materials.
Seoh Heehwan, a leading figure in 20th-century Korean calligraphy, made history in 1968 by becoming the first recipient of the Presidential Award in the calligraphy category at the 17th National Art Exhibition of Korea. This achievement brought a fresh shock to the calligraphy community, which had been dominated by Chinese character calligraphy. Although his award-winning work, "Aeguksi," was criticized for closely resembling the handwriting of his teacher, Sohn Jaehyung (1902?1981), Seoh Heehwan dedicated himself to building his own unique artistic world based on this experience. Until his passing in 1995 at the age of 61, Seoh Heehwan focused on Korean calligraphy and is recognized for having established a distinctive artistic identity.
His works and legacy can be found throughout the country. Notable examples include epitaphs for national patriots at the National Cemetery and Imjingak, monuments commemorating the March 1st Movement in Iksan and Hoengseong, inscriptions on the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin in Mokpo, the memorial for independence activists in Seoul, and epitaphs for Ju Sigyeong and Bang Jeonghwan at the Independence Hall of Korea. The exhibition will also feature the 1983 memorial inscription for the victims of the Burma Aung San Mausoleum bombing, the original signboard for Sudo Women's Teachers' College (now Sejong University, privately owned), and the signboard for the Korean National Commission for UNESCO (owned by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO). In addition, Seoh Heehwan's large-scale work "Wolincheongangjigok" (owned by the King Sejong Memorial Society), which contains approximately 10,000 characters written in 1980, will also be on display. The exhibition runs until October 2.
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