Jang Ukjin's 'Family' Discovered in Osaka, Japan After 60 Years... To Be Released in September

'Family' Sold to Japanese in 1964
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Unearths and Acquires Ahead of September Retrospective
Jang Uk-jin's 1955 Work Holds High Art Historical Value
First Reveal at 'Jang Uk-jin Retrospective' on September 14

The painting "Family" by artist Jang Uk-jin (1917?1990), created in 1955, is returning to its homeland after 60 years.

The process of discovering Jang Uk-jin's 'Family'.
[Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art] [Image source: Yonhap News]

On the 16th, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art announced that it had rediscovered "Family" in Japan and will exhibit it at the Jang Uk-jin retrospective opening on the 14th of next month at the Deoksugung Museum.

"Family" was a work that the artist, who painted about 30 family-themed pieces during his lifetime, was very attached to, to the extent that he always hung it by his bedside. It was the first painting he sold for money, and it is said that Jang Uk-jin used the money from selling this work to buy a violin for his youngest daughter.

After selling this painting to a Japanese buyer named Shiozawa Sadao at his first solo exhibition held at Bando Gallery in 1964, Jang Uk-jin showed his attachment to "Family" by repainting "Family Portrait" (owned by Yangju City Jang Uk-jin Museum) in 1972 due to his regret.

After being missing for 60 years, "Family" was rediscovered by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art during preparations for the Jang Uk-jin retrospective in September.

Curator Bae Won-jung, who planned the exhibition, tracked down the whereabouts of the painting based on the name of the buyer, Mr. Shiozawa, and visited the atelier of his son and daughter-in-law near Osaka, Japan. Curator Bae explained that she personally found the palm-sized painting covered in dust inside an old closet in the atelier.

Curator Bae Won-jeong of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, who discovered the artwork, and collectors Shiozawa Shunichi and his wife.
[Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]

Smaller than an adult palm, "Family" (6.5×16.5 cm) depicts four family members looking forward inside a house in the center, along with a tree and two birds. The well-organized arrangement of subjects fully demonstrates Jang Uk-jin’s sense of form, and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art added that it holds special significance as the only case among the artist’s family paintings where only the father and children are depicted together.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which persuaded the owner to purchase "Family," plans to reveal the painting at the Jang Uk-jin retrospective in September after completing its preservation treatment.

The museum evaluated, "'Family' is a painting that serves as a model of Jang Uk-jin’s family portraits, which he painted throughout his life, and is the first official family portrait, making its art historical value very high."

Jang Uk-jin’s eldest daughter, Jang Kyung-soo, said, "I vividly remember carefully touching the rough texture of the tree my father painted when I was young, and seeing it again brings tears to my eyes." The youngest daughter, Jang Yoon-mi, shared her thoughts: "I was 10 years old at the time and part of the Hyehwa Elementary School ensemble. I vividly remember performing in many places with the violin my father bought (with the money from selling the family painting). It feels so new and moving."

Jang Ukjin, 'Family', 1955, oil on canvas, 6.5x16.5cm,
[Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art] [Image source=Yonhap News]

Jang Uk-jin is a representative artist symbolizing modern and contemporary Korean art history and beloved by the public, alongside Lee Jung-seop and Park Soo-keun. Known as "the painter who draws like a child full of innocence," his paintings feature simple and concise depictions of trees, houses, the sun and moon, and magpies.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art will introduce Jang Uk-jin’s early works, including oil paintings, ink paintings, magic pen drawings, prints, cover art, and illustrations, at the retrospective opening on the 14th of next month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.