Kim Tschang-Yeul

From psychedelic abstraction to paintings of water droplets: essential insight into one of Korea’s most celebrated painters

Internationally acclaimed painter Kim Tschang-Yeul (1929–2021) spent most of his career in Paris after having fled his North Korean home during wartime. There his painting throughout the 1960s spanned diverse modes of abstraction, minimalism and photorealism, before the artist ultimately settled on the single motif that he would pursue for the rest of his life: the drop of water. As Kim explained, “the act of painting water drops is to dissolve all things within [these], to return to a transparent state of ‘nothingness.’”
This landmark monograph, produced with the artist’s close involvement, collects works from throughout Kim’s long career. Beginning with his early biomorphic, psychedelic abstractions of the 1960s, up through his masterful photorealistic “water droplet” paintings as recently as 2017, this is the definitive presentation of Kim’s work. A detailed chronology tracks developments in the artist’s life and practice, alongside historical photographs, notes and sketches, and studio views.