LEE UNGNO'S LIFE

1904
He was born on January 12th, 1904, according to the lunar calendar, in Hongseong, Chungcheongnam-do as the fourth son of a scholarly family. His father's name was Gunsang Lee, and his mother was a daughter of the Kims of Gimhae.

1910~1912 
Entered Hongseong elementary school.

1920 
Learned the basics of black-ink painting from Yomjae Taehoi Song, a calligrapher, in Sunseong-myeon, Dangjin-gun, Chungnam.

1922~1923
Went to Seoul.
Studied under Haegang Gyujin Kim, a calligrapher, who gived Lee Ungno's Juksa.

1924
Won a prize with <Clear Bamboos> at the field of the Four Gracious Plants in the third Joseon Art Exhibition.
Learned mounting, signboard, and brass rubbing.

1928
Worked in Gongju, Daejeon, and other cities, and ran a signboard shop after settling in Jeonju.

1932~1933
Won a special prize with <Clear Bamboos> at the field of the Four Gracious Plants in the tenth Joseon Art Exhibition.
The examination by Korean artists was blocked in the eleventh Joseon Art Exhibition (the field of the Four Gracious Plants was integrated into the field of Oriental Painting).
Received the pen-name Goam from Byongjo Jeong in 1933.

1935~1939
Went to Japan with his family. He confined Painting running a newspaper agency in Tokyo
Majored in Oriental Painting at the Kawabata art school in Tokyo.
Majored in Western Painting at the Hongo painting research center in Tokyo.
Entered the Deuko painting studio of Matsubayashi Keigetsu (松林桂月,1876~1963) in Tokyo.
Won a prize with <Windy Bamboos (風竹)> in 1935 at the 95th Exhibition of Japanese art association .
Won a prize with <Dongdohwaan (東都河岸)> and <Dongwonchunsa (東園春事)> at the 17th Joseon Art Exhibition.
Held the first personal exhibition <Namhwashinjakjeon> at Hwasin gallery in Seoul.
Won a Special prize with <Devastation (荒凉)> and selected for a prize with <Summer day>, <lonely autumn> at the 18th Joseon Art Exhibition.

1945
Came back from Japan, took over Sudeok inn in Yesan, Chungnam from his brother Heungno, went to Seoul, and opened 'Goam art studio'. 
Contributed to a movement to reconstruct national art with the Joseon Art Research body and the Dangu art academy with Younggi Kim, Yutae Lee, and Wooseong Jang.

1948~1954
Took up as a head professor at the College of Fine Art in Hongik University.
Took up as a professor at the department of Oriental Painting at Sorabol art College in Gyeongju.
Held personal exhibitions at Daejeon Culture Center, Donga gallery, and Seoul Hwashin department store, and in Gwangju, Hongseong, Suwon, and Yesan.1956Published a book 『Appreciation and Techniques of the Oriental Painting』.

1957
Refused a National Art Exhibition, pointing out its abuse.
Displayed <Sailing> and <Mountains> at the Korean contemporary art exhibition held at Worldhouse gallery in New York, the US. The Rockefeller foundation bought and donated them to the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Invited by Jacques Lassaigne, manager of the French office of the international art critics association.
Displayed <Forest>, <Mountain>, <Silver Birds> as the only artist of oriental painting at an exhibition for contemporary artists sponsored by Chosun Ilbo.

1958~1959
Personal exhibition to celebrate his going to France at the Central Public Relations Office in Seoul.
Stayed in West Germany for one year through West Germany ambassador Hertz's help Exhibition of Lee Ungno and Park In-Kyung couple at the Bonn Museum of Art, Germany Personal exhibition at two galleries in Germany, Galerie Prestel, Galerie Boisserée.

1960~1962
Settled in Paris in January 1960.
Displayed his works at an exhibition for Korean artists in France, at a French gallery, Galerie Cercle Volney.
Personal exhibition at International Contemporary Gallery in Washington, the US.
Made a contract with Galerie Paul Facchetti in Paris, France for the exhibition of his works Personal exhibitions simultaneously at Galerie Paul Facchetti and the Central Public Relations Center in Seoul.
Participated in Salon Comparaison in Paris.

1963
Exhibition organized by three critics (J.Lassaigne, M.Ragon, and P. Schneider) at Max Kaganovich gallery in Paris.
Personal exhibitions at Frederick gallery and Dahlem galley in Germany.

1964
Founded the L'Académie de Peinture Orientale de Paris in Paris under the sponsorship of 14 French celebrities in early November.
Invited to Carnegie international Art Exhibition in Pittsburgh, the US.
Personal exhibitions in Swiss and Numaga Max Kaganovich gallery in Paris.

1965~1966
Won a Silver Prize at the 8th Biennale de São Paulo.
Personal exhibition at Statens Museum for Kunst in Denmark.

1967~1969
Personal Exhibition at Galerie Numaga in Neuchâtel, Swiss Auvernier.
Incarceration in South Korea because of Dongbaeklim case (He is wrongly accused of spying against his government). Took a rest in Yesan (Sudeok inn) for a while after release and went to Paris.
Produced rock paintings in March 1969.
Published Goam's offset print book by Nouvelle image Publishing house in France.

1970~1972
Invited to Sabre Museum is iuaugwer Exhibition in France.
Installed his rower sculpture (height 10m, diameter 1m50cm) at the group exhibition for sculptures sponsored by the museum, nearby the beach of the museum.
Personal exhibition, (Collage, 1969-1970), Facchetti gallery in Paris
Personal exhibition by the Querini Stampalia foundation in Venice, Italy
The Mobilier National requested and bought a prototype of his tapestry.

1973
Published (書 / Ides et Calendes) with Pierre Jaquillard.
A French person bought his work, which won a prize at the 6th international tapestry biennale.
Personal Exhibition at New Smith gallery in Brussels, Belgian.
Exhibitions at Contemporary Surrealistic Abstract Paintings, Caligraphic and Prints and sixth International Tapestry Biennale.

1974~1975
Lee Ungno multi-media exhibition at Wenger Gallery in La Jolla, the US.
Performance of his calligraphy for his personal exhibition at Annick Le Moine in Paris Goupe Exhibition for Paintings and Collages at Bristol Museum of Art, the UK.

1976
Opened Goryo gallery on November 26.
As it was the first Korean gallery in Paris, it was located in Paris A-district Feronega (街). It was a meeting place for Korean artists in France.
Produced a film 《Ung-no Lee》 in France.
Produced a wall painting for Joinville high school in France.
Personal exhibitions at Arras gallery in New York, Shinsegae gallery in Seoul, and Goryo gallery in France.
Participate the second International Miniature Textile Exhibition at London Craft Center, the UK.

1977
Presented new serires <Dance- painting (舞畵)> at Munheon gallery in Seoul.
Trading and presentation of his works were prohibited in South Korea due to the connection of a political case.
Print exhibition of Lee Ungno at Goryo gallery in Paris.

1978~1979
Personal exhibition People at Goryo gallery in Paris.
Black-ink painting exhibition of Lee Ungno, Tobey, and Laubies at Goryo gallery in Paris.
Personal exhibition Folding screens exhibition at Goryo gallery in Paris.
Les Arts Décoratifs, Musée Cernuschi and Musée des Monnaies et Médailles acquire his works.
Published Manual 『L'art de Peindre à L'encre de Chine / Sarl Koryo』, Paris, France.

1980~1985
Personal exhibitions at BIMC gallery, Goryo gallery, Paris, Sanyo gallery and Nagoya Hinoki gallery in Tokyo, and La Chaux-de-Fonds Centre Culturel Club, Milan, Italy Salon Comparaisons, Grand Palais/Paris.
Exhibition of ink and soil 'Calligraphic behavior' Goryo gallery in Paris.
Exhibition <Sèvres from 1850 to today>.
Sèvres national ceramic produced and bought works.
Le Mobilier National/ Paris bought three tapestry patterns.
Exhibitions of the Lee Ungno couple at Hyunmin gallery in Kanagawa and Sanyo gallery in Tokyo, Japan
Containing a discussion with Lee Ungno, his wife Park In-Kyung, Tomiyama Daeiko in September1985.
Published a book 『Lee Ungno - Seoul • Paris • Tokyo (Thoughts about Painting and Nation)』.

1986~1987
Film eutitted: <Our nation> focusing on Goam in 1986.
Invited to 'People exhibition' at the Contemporary Museum of Tokyo Metropolitan Exhibition of Symbols and Letters at Arnoul gallery in Paris.
Displayed at the 20th Century Sèvres Ceramic Exhibition (Ceramics museum of Sèvres) of SEVRES.
Exhibition for 'the lines of new shapes' at Baccarat Crystal Museum in Paris. 

1988
Published a Mannual book 『L’art de peindre à l’encre de Chine / L’Académie de Peinture Orientale de Paris』.
Personal exhibition at Simmons gallery in LA (Retrospective exhibition <1950-1980> in New York).
The Contemporary Museum of Tokyo Metropolitan Government bought his works. 

1989
Died on January 10 of heart attack in Paris before the opening of his.
Personal exhibition at Hoam gallery in Seoul in January 1989.
He was buried at the Cemetery du Père Lachaise in Paris where international artists are buried.
Memorial exhibitions at Musée Cernuschi in Paris, Indeco gallery in Seoul, Asahi gallery in Tokyo, and ABC gallery in Osaka .

 

1990~2009

Since his death, his life and art world have been studied through memorial exhibitions in South Korea.
Goam studio was built at Vaux-sur-Seine in 1992.
Lee Ungno Museum opened at Pyeongchang-dong, Seoul in 2000, and a study on his art was actively conducted. However, it closed in 2005.
On May 3, 2007, 'Lee Ungno Museum’ opened in Daejeon. It has been actively operating as a study on his life and artistic world, and is connected with the Goam atelier in Paris.<source: Lee Ungno Museum>