RHEE SEUNDJA (KOREAN 1918-2009)
UNTITLED, 1961
£10,080
Auction: Modern Made Day 2 - Lots 124 to 456 - Friday 02 May at 10:30
Description
signed (lower right), and inscribed 615F1244, oil on canvas
Dimensions
27cm x 34.8cm (10 5/8in x 13 5/8in)
Provenance
Acquired in Paris by the current owners aunt in the 1960s;
Private Collection, London.
Footnote
Rhee Seundja was a pioneering Korean modern artist who seamlessly merged Western abstraction with Eastern philosophies. She began her artistic journey in the early 1950s in France, studying at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, where Chinese abstract masters Zao Wou-Ki and Chu Teh-Chun had also trained. Immersing herself in the European art scene, she explored Art Informel, which was gaining momentum in Paris, and turned to abstraction in 1956.
By the early 1960s, Rhee had developed a distinct style that fused an Eastern mindset with Western materials, creating a unique colour palette and artistic language. She reinterpreted traditional Korean patterns, using each brushstroke as a symbolic act of nurturing - both the land and, metaphorically, the children she had been separated from since 1951. Her work from this period, reflected themes of nature, spirituality, and femininity, often expressed through geometric forms, bold colours, and richly textured surfaces.
Through her synthesis of cultural traditions and artistic innovation, Rhee became a significant figure in both Korean and international modern art, leaving behind a rich artistic legacy.