Yoo Youngkuk, ‘Work,’ 1973 © Yoo Youngkuk Art Foundation. Courtesy of Pace Gallery.The first overseas solo exhibition of Yoo Youngkuk, recognized as a pioneer in Korean modernism and abstract art, is taking place at Pace Gallery in New York. The exhibition, Mountain Within, runs until December 22 and features works created by the artist between 1965 and 1995.
The exhibition focuses on the artist’s works from the 1960s, delving into his exploration of shaping space on canvas during that decade. In the 1960s, Yoo Youngkuk produced works that featured a combination of geometric and natural color and form, showcasing a lyrical and nuanced approach. The paintings created in the 1980s and 1990s, during prolonged health struggles for the artist, exhibit a more dynamic and crisp quality compared to the previous decade. The showcased artworks collectively demonstrate Yoo Youngkuk’s vivid, sharp, poetic, and abstract artistic beliefs that he had long sought to express. The exhibition showcases his ability to capture the majesty of nature, particularly the diverse landscape of Uljin, which progressively unfolded into an abstract tendency.
Born in Uljin, Gyeongsangbuk-do, in 1916, Yoo Youngkuk (1916–2002) depicted the mountains and nature of his hometown, Uljin. In the 1930s, he began his studies in painting at Tokyo Bunka Gakuin University in Japan. Yoo Youngkuk left a remarkable artistic legacy, creating over 400 oil paintings during his lifetime. In 2016, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) celebrated the centenary of his birth with the exhibition 100th Anniversary of Korean Modern Master: YOO YOUNGKUK, featuring around 150 of his works.
