Biography
Lee Ufan is a Korean-born artist, philosopher, and writer who is widely regarded as one of the most significant figures in contemporary Asian art. Born in Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea, in 1936, he attended Seoul National University before moving to Japan in 1956, where he studied philosophy at Nihon University. He emerged as the leading theorist and practitioner of the Mono-ha (School of Things) movement, Japan's first internationally acknowledged contemporary art movement, which emphasized the encounter between natural and industrial materials.
Though primarily celebrated for his painting and sculpture, Lee has repeatedly explored printmaking throughout his career, viewing it not merely as a technique of reproduction but as an important means of expression that visualizes the differences arising through the passage of time and repetition. In 2022, he collaborated with the Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints to produce his 'Dialogue' series as traditional woodcut prints, working with master craftsmen who have inherited centuries-old woodblock printing techniques. These prints were created on Echizen Kizuki Hosho Washi paper made by living national treasure Ichibei Iwano, bringing together contemporary conceptual art with the highest level of traditional Japanese craftsmanship.
Lee's work is held in major collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Tate (London), the Centre Pompidou (Paris), and the Guggenheim Museum. He has a dedicated museum, the Lee Ufan Museum, on the island of Naoshima, Japan, designed by architect Tadao Ando. He contributed 'Desert Ginza' to the 'One Hundred Views of Tokyo' portfolio at the Art Institute of Chicago. He divides his time between Kamakura, Japan, and Paris.
Key Facts
- Active Period
- 1936
- Nationality
- 🇰🇷South Korea
- Subjects
- AbstractLithograph
Frequently Asked Questions
Lee Ufan is a Korean-born artist, philosopher, and writer who is widely regarded as one of the most significant figures in contemporary Asian art. Born in Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea, in 1936, he attended Seoul National University before moving to Japan in 1956, where he studied philosophy at Nihon University. He emerged as the leading theorist and practitioner of the Mono-ha (School of Things) movement, Japan's first internationally acknowledged contemporary art movement, which emphasized the encounter between natural and industrial materials.
Lee Ufan was active born in 1936. They were associated with the Contemporary Mokuhanga and Experimental Print movements.
Lee Ufan's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga and Experimental Print traditions in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques. Experimental Print: Experimental print is the loose movement-category used to describe the strand of postwar Japanese printmaking that broke decisively with the inherited conventions of sōsaku-hanga to pursue abstraction, mixed media, photographic and material experimentation, and conceptual approaches — a strand that took root in the late 1940s and 1950s, peaked in the 1960s and 1970s, and continues in contemporary Japanese print practice.
Lee Ufan's prints frequently feature abstract, lithograph, urban scenes, seascapes, landscapes.
Original prints by Lee Ufan can be found in collections including Art Institute of Chicago, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum.
Lee Ufan is a contemporary printmaker contributing to the ongoing tradition of woodblock printing. Contemporary prints offer collectors an affordable entry point into Japanese printmaking. Prices range from $100 for smaller works to $1,500 for major compositions. Most prints sell in the $200–$600 range. The contemporary printmaking scene is active and international, with artists exhibiting at galleries, art fairs, and print biennials worldwide.
