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Lee Hang-Sung [1919-1997]
Korean
Revival, 1958
Ink on paper
36 x 22 inches
Signed and dated at lower left : ‘H.S. 1958.’.
Location: Front bottom frame.
Text: ‘LEE HANG-SUNG / REVIVAL’.

Lee Hang-Sung (1919-1997)

Lee Hang-Sung (1919-1997) was a Korean painter and printmaker known for his abstract calligraphic prints. Hang-Sung was born October 14, 1919 in Seoul, Korea. He began his career as a painter later shifting his focus to printmaking by about 1950. As one of the founding members of the Korean Printing Association in 1958, his work with the organization greatly advanced printmaking as an art form in Korea. The artist explored various printing technologies including woodblock, engraving, lithography and serigraphy. In 1959, his lithograph Dajeongbulsim [Compassion] won an award in the International Printing Biennial, organized by the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH. Ready for a change, Hang-Sung moved to Paris, France in 1975.

Hang-Sung exhibited widely including: Gana Art Center, Seoul, Korea, “Peace 2002, 2.1-3.10”, 2002; Gallery Korea, Korea Cultural Service, New York, NY, “A Tribute to Lee, Hang Sung by his friends”, June 10-24, 1997; Comité international d’art à Paris, Paris, “La Salle des pas perdus, le Hall de Miro”, April 3-14, 1995; Gallery Korea, Korea Cultural Service, New York, NY, “Lee Hang Sung, Special Exhibition in Commemoration of the First Anniversary of Korea’s Membership in the U.N.”, September 3-30, 1995; Paris, France, “Hang-Sung Lee: a retrospective”, 1983; The Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH, “The Fourth, Fifth, and Six International Printmaking Biennial”, 1959, 1960, 1962; The Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, CA, “Contemporary color lithography from the Fifth International Biennial of The Cincinnati Art Museum”, February 22-?, 1959; and Korea, “First solo show”, 1951.

His work is held in the following collections: Gothenburg Museum of Art, Göteborg, Sweden; Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris, France; Bonn Town Hall, Bonn, Germany; Saarbrücken Town Hall, Saarland, Germany; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Gwacheon and Deoksugung, Korea; The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, New York, NY; The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Rosenwald Collection; and the Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Cornell, NY.

Toward the end of his life, Hang-Sung was the author and co-author of several publications including: Faces & Facts : Contemporary Korean Art in New York by Kyung Jeon, 2009; Peace 2002, 2.1-3.10 by Hang-Sung Lee, Kyung Sung Lee, Yil Lee, Jeanine Warnod, Virgil Gheorghiv (text), 2002, Gana Art Center, Seoul, Korea; Korean art in the world by Hang-Sung Lee, 1995, Unesco, Paris; Hang-Sung Lee by Kim Jung-Suk, 1995, Unesco; In commemoration of the first anniversary of Korea’s U.N. membership by Hang-Sung Lee, 1992, Korean Culture Service, New York, NY, 1992; Korean Cultural Service NY 30th Anniversary Booklet, 1981; and Zen Telegrams by Paul Reps which included Silhouette from Hang-Sung Lee.

Lee Hang-Sung died in 1997.

ORGANIZATIONS
– Korean Printing Association, 1958, founding member

EXHIBITIONS
2002 Gana Art Center, Seoul, Korea, “Peace 2002, 2.1-3.10”, [unknown date].
1997 Gallery Korea, Korea Cultural Service, New York, NY, “A Tribute to Lee, Hang Sung by his friends”, June 10-24.
1995 Comité international d’art à Paris, Paris, “La Salle des pas perdus, le Hall de Miro”, April 3-14.
1992 Gallery Korea, Korea Cultural Service, New York, NY, “Lee Hang Sung, Special Exhibition in Commemoration of the First Anniversary of Korea’s Membership in the U.N.”, September 3-30.
1983 Paris, France, “Hang-Sung Lee: a retrospective”, [unknown date].
1962 The Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH, “Sixth international biennial”, [unknown date].
1960 The Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH, “Fifth international biennial”, [unknown date].
1959 The Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, CA, “Contemporary color lithography from the Fifth International Biennial of The Cincinnati Art Museum”, February 22-?
1958 The Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH, “Forth international biennial”, [unknown date].
1951 First solo show

MUSEUMS & COLLECTIONS
– Gothenburg Museum of Art, Göteborg, Sweden
– Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris, France
– Bonn Town Hall, Bonn, Germany
– Saarbrücken Town Hall, Saarland, Germany
– National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Gwacheon and Deoksugung, Korea.
– The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, New York, NY.
– The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Rosenwald Collection.
– Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Cornell, NY.

PUBLICATIONS
– Faces & Facts : Contemporary Korean Art in New York – Kyung Jeon, 2009.
– Peace 2002, 2.1-3.10 by Hang-Sung Lee, Kyung Sung Lee, Yil Lee, Jeanine Warnod, Virgil Gheorghiv (text), 2002, Gana Art Center, Seoul, Korea.
– Korean art in the world by Hang-Sung Lee, 1995, Unesco, Paris.
– Hang-Sung Lee by Kim Jung-Suk, 1995, Unesco.
– In commemoration of the first anniversary of Korea’s U.N. membership by Hang-Sung Lee, 1992, Korean Culture Service, New York, NY, 1992.
– Korean Cultural Service NY 30th Anniversary Booklet, 1981.
– Zen Telegrams by Paul Reps includes Silhouette from Hang-Sung Lee.

SOURCES
– Independent Star-News, Pasadena, California, “Art matters” by Jarvis Barlow, Sunday, February 22, 1959, page 58, not illustrated.
– Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu, HI, “On zen, and weightless gifts” by Austin Faricy, Saturday, July 11, 1959, page 50.
– Oxford Reference
– Ebay listing with artist biography