In Part 1 of this interview, Elliat Albrecht talks to Kukje Gallery’s Hyun-Sook Lee about her early career and bringing Donald Judd to Seoul

How an enthusiastic collector became one of Korea’s most renowned gallerists

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Hyun-Sook Lee, founder and chairwoman of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/12716/Kukje-Gallery" target="_blank">Kukje Gallery</a>&nbsp;in Seoul, describes herself foremost as a dealer, and secondly as a very passionate collector. Suggestions of her extensive personal art collection are evident in the garden: A 1968 metal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6732/Alexander-Calder" target="_blank">Alexander Calder</a>&nbsp;sculpture curves upwards like a black hook among the manicured plants. Inside the doorway hangs a graphic painting from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6740/Roy-Lichtenstein" target="_blank">Roy Lichtenstein</a>’s famed mid-1950s series of enlarged brushstrokes, while a large green concave mirror by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7520/Anish-Kapoor" target="_blank">Anish Kapoor</a>&nbsp;has a place on the wall at the head of the dining-room table. Around the house are works by Korean masters such as Kim Chong Yung,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/46313/Yoo-Youngkuk" target="_blank">Yoo Youngkuk</a>, Park Su-geun and Kwon Jinkyu, while drawings and personal gifts from artist friends such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7226/Lee-Ufan" target="_blank">Lee Ufan</a> are plentiful throughout the bedrooms on the upper floor. Over the course of her career, Lee has emphasized the importance of cultivating close relationships with artists and collectors alike.Lee began her career as a dealer for pragmatic reasons. After years of collecting Korean antiquities and modernist works with her husband, her first exhibition in 1982 was a way to sell some of her acquisitions to make room for more. In the mid-1980s, Lee traveled to the United States, where she became acquainted with the Western avant-garde. Hoping to introduce foreign artists to the Korean market, Lee approached overseas galleries to let her show their artists in Seoul. Her efforts were met with success; in the years that followed, Lee brought&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7642/Roni-Horn" target="_blank">Roni Horn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7764/Anthony-Caro" target="_blank">Anthony Caro</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7428/Anselm-Kiefer" target="_blank">Anselm Kiefer</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7334/Candida-H%C3%B6fer" target="_blank">Candida Höfer</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6732/Alexander-Calder" target="_blank">Alexander Calder</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6938/Louise-Bourgeois" target="_blank">Louise Bourgeois</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7219/Donald-Judd" target="_blank">Donald Judd</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8808/Joseph-Beuys" target="_blank">Joseph Beuys</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7558/Cy-Twombly" target="_blank">Cy Twombly</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6770/Sol-LeWitt" target="_blank">Sol LeWitt</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7520/Anish-Kapoor" target="_blank">Anish Kapoor</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7753/Bill-Viola" target="_blank">Bill Viola</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7406/Jean-Michel-Othoniel" target="_blank">Jean-Michel Othoniel</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8519/Ugo-Rondinone" target="_blank">Ugo Rondinone</a> and others to Korea. While also dealing in the works of postwar Korean artists including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/9415/Ha-Chong-Hyun" target="_blank">Ha Chong-Hyun</a>, Lee Ufan,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/15662/Chung-Chang-Sup" target="_blank">Chung Chang-Sup</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/11133/Kwon-Young-Woo" target="_blank">Kwon Young-Woo</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/9242/Park-Seo-Bo" target="_blank">Park Seo-Bo</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/11132/Chung-Sang-hwa" target="_blank">Chung Sang-Hwa</a>, Lee has supported the careers of notable Korean artists including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7090/Haegue-Yang" target="_blank">Haegue Yang</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/12201/Kimsooja" target="_blank">Kimsooja</a>, Gimhongsok,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/search?q=Kyungah%20Ham" target="_blank">Kyungah Ham</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/37077/Yeondoo-Jung" target="_blank">Yeondoo Jung</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/15853/Kibong-Rhee" target="_blank">Kibong Rhee</a>, and Jae-Eun Choi.&nbsp;

Kukje means ‘international’ in Korean. This is reflected in both Lee’s collection and her gallery ethos, which is centered on cultural education and global dialogue. With three exhibition spaces (K1, K2, and K3), an auditorium, wine bar, and restaurant, Kukje Gallery is now located in the Samcheong-dong neighborhood of Seoul. In 2018, Kukje’s first outpost was opened in Busan, Korea’s second-largest city.Lee is also recognized as a contributor to the recent boom in interest in Dansaekhwa painting, having mounted a major exhibition of important works as a collateral event at the Venice Biennale in 2015. Acknowledged for her pioneering work within and outside Korea, she was listed in 2014 as one of artnet News’ Most Admired Art Dealers and 100 Most Powerful Women in Art. She has also been selected as one of ArtReview’s Power 100 every year since 2015. We sat next to a large painting by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/17453/Kim-Whanki" target="_blank">Kim Whanki</a> as we spoke about her life in art in 2017. Our conversation was updated in early 2020.&nbsp;

You spent your childhood visiting galleries with your parents, and began collecting by acquiring Korean antiquities and ceramics. How did you move to collecting modern and contemporary art?There was a surge of public recognition of then-contemporary artists during the 1970s and 1980s, including Oh Chi-Ho, Chang Ucchin, To Sang-Bong, Yoo Youngkuk, and Kim Whanki. These artists were garnering a lot of attention at the time, so I was naturally exposed to them and began to focus on their work, leading me toward an increasing interest in contemporary rather than Modern art. At that time, we [Koreans] used to broadly classify paintings as either Western or Asian, or more commonly as traditionally Korean. Although the latter was then still very dominant in the market, Western painting steadily became more prominent, eventually becoming the dominant genre of art.How do you choose the works that you display in your home? Is there a certain criterion for artworks that you like to live among?I personally like living with works by de Kooning and Lichtenstein, as well as the Dansaekhwa artists. I also love works by Alexander Calder and Louise Bourgeois, two artists I considered good friends and both of whom I worked with for a long time. As for Calder, I am very close with his grandson, Alexander ‘Sandy’ Rower. We have a long-standing relationship and have organized many exhibitions over the years. I’ve always appreciated these artists’ works, and these feelings have been nurtured by my personal friendships with them. Eventually I was fortunate enough to collect their art and those of many other artists I admire, giving me the opportunity to display their masterworks.

Do the works in your home change?I don’t often change the display at home, but when I do it is a spontaneous decision. I think it’s also contingent on the four seasons. For example, I hang works that blend in with the outdoor landscape during the greenest months in Korea. I think it’s most important that the works are in harmony with their surrounding environment, and arranging my home as such also lifts my mood. In that sense, I think it is indeed true that art is most closely in touch with an individual’s lifestyle.What is your most treasured work in the collection?It’s hard to pick just one! Each work means a lot to me, but if I had to choose from the Korean works I own, I would say both Kim Whanki and Park Su-geun. They are two of the treasured artists in my Korean collection. As for Western artists, I like Donald Judd and have a special piece of his. I also like Roy Lichtenstein and Alexander Calder. I have a unique sculpture by Calder installed in my garden and another in my dining room. This is an important work by Kim Whanki [points to Tranquility 5-IV-73 #310 (1973)], but I also enjoy his early figurative works. There is a small, very important, early painting by the artist on the second floor of my house. I can show it to you later.Do you also collect film and video?Of course – Kimsooja has great films. Bill Viola and I have a great working relationship and I love his works.

How do the modern Korean artworks correlate with your contemporary collection?It would be a mistake to say that there is just one correlation between these two historic categories. It makes more sense to discuss the differences first. Generally speaking, there are cultural and generational differences between Modern and contemporary Korean artists that arose due to their education. Modern Korean artists were educated in Japan as we were under Japanese occupation, and this led to a greater influence by the then-dominant Japanese school of Impressionism. It was a natural phenomenon as Korea was a colony of Japan, and this had an undeniable influence on education. This was the case for these artists from this particular generation. At the time, people were exposed to Japanese culture and language.Many galleries and dealers thought that these Modern Korean artists who were educated in Japan were on the cutting edge and offered something new to the market. During that time, oriental landscape paintings were prevalent in the market and a sudden transition toward contemporary art would have caused a huge rift. It would have been difficult for the general public and collectors to wrap their heads around, having become accustomed to traditional Korean paintings, even though, in the West, Impressionism had long since been replaced by different strains of Modernism. This is why I believe that Impressionism, along with Modern Korean art, was an essential stepping-stone to contemporary art. Impressionism, oil painting and figurative painting have all been in conversation with traditional Korean painting throughout modern history. This connection was fundamental in familiarizing domestic audiences and collectors with contemporary art.

This change in the reception of contemporary art is one of the many reasons why I began to promote Dansaekhwa. In the 1960s and 1970s, few people appreciated this generation of artists and their works. Perceptions of art changed with a new generation, yet still nobody properly promoted this vital movement. I had a responsibility to introduce Dansaekhwa to both domestic and international audiences.What was the transition like from being a collector to founding a gallery? Was there a necessary shift in your approach to art?The answer is simple – I loved art and wanted to collect more artworks. As my collection expanded, I thought to myself, would there be a way to buy and sell artworks? I’d already established relationships with artists while building my own collection, and that’s how I came to open a gallery 38 years ago, when there was only a handful of galleries in Korea. When I first opened Kukje Gallery, I began with art that was unprecedented and unseen in Korea, which meant that many of the artists I exhibited were from overseas and particularly from the West. Even the Korean artists I represented were expressionist in style and worked with oil-based mediums – both indicators of Western influence. And over time, I broadened my scope to include established Korean artists who were widely recognized and acclaimed by the international audience. Looking back, that’s why Kukje Gallery became successful – I was the first to display works that were not being showcased in Korea.

I read that your first exhibition sold out quite quickly.[Laughs.] Yes.How do you approach introducing Korean art to non-Korean artists? What is your point of introduction to Korean art history, for example?I think, today, the binary between ‘Korean’ and ‘non-Korean’ no longer exists. The world is changing. When introducing Korean art history, I like to start with the basics. It helps people to place Korean art history within the overall international narrative. After the Modern age, there was Dansaekhwa, the movement where artists vigorously pursued their own visual vocabulary. Minjung art is a populist art movement that came after Dansaekhwa and is often referred to as ‘the people’s art’. It is more liberal, open-minded and provides a reflection of political and social themes. Now, there is a younger generation of Korean artists, for example Haegue Yang, whose work builds on the history of conceptual art. I feel that contemporary Korean artists are deeply influenced by these historical Korean art movements. For this next generation, their international education has created a synergy with their Korean backgrounds, helping them to discover unique and important voices.What does it mean to you to be such an influential and successful female art dealer and collector, often appearing on lists of top gallerists that have historically been dominated by men?Women are very powerful on the Korean art scene [Laughs.]. I run a family business – my three children, Tina, Suzie and Charles, are all involved. I sent them to study overseas when they were young. This both allowed me freedom to invest in the gallery and gave them great educations and international experience. Because of their diverse experiences, they have been able to develop important expertise and networks, contributing a great deal to the success and growth of Kukje Gallery.

How does working with family affect the dynamics and operations of the gallery?It’s actually very effective, as everyone has a different role. I communicate with the major clients who are closer to my age. Charles handles all administrative, operational, and financial tasks, including our cafe, wine bar, and restaurant. His wife, Bo, is involved in curating gallery exhibitions and manages our extensive archive and publications. Tina runs her own gallery in New York [Tina Kim Gallery], and we often collaborate on art fairs. Suzie runs the education program at Kukje Gallery. We have an auditorium that we use for educational purposes, such as lectures, film screenings, and concerts. Suzie runs this academic programming, educating younger collectors and cultivating a new dynamic client base. This programming doesn’t only cover art, it also includes music, opera, film, art history, and humanities. As I age, this component of Kukje’s mission has become increasingly important – I really enjoy learning and studying with my friends and clients. I am continually learning about artists and cultures I have never seen before.I am also very deliberate with the structure of our gallery. While there are some overlapping roles, we have an exhibition team, design team, communications team, sales team, and so on. Forty people work in the gallery. It’s a large and well-organized group. My philosophy as the founder is not to just grow, but I prefer to gauge how much we can manage and observe our boundaries. We value quality over quantity and work at a steady pace.Part two of this piece will be published on April 7.Top image:&nbsp;Sungsic Moon,&nbsp;Just Life,&nbsp;2017-2019. Photo by:&nbsp;Park Dongseok.&nbsp;Courtesy of the artist and Kukje Gallery, Busan, Seoul.&nbsp;Article originally published on&nbsp;Originally on&nbsp;<a href="https://ocula.com/magazine/conversations/hyun-sook-lee/" target="_blank">Ocula.com</a> and updated for Art Basel.&nbsp;

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How an enthusiastic collector became one of Korea’s most renowned gallerists

In Part 1 of this interview, Elliat Albrecht talks to Kukje Gallery’s Hyun-Sook Lee about her early career and bringing Donald Judd to Seoul

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