Artwork by the late painter Lee In-sung sold for cigarette prices... Family loses second trial for return lawsuit

The family of the late genius painter Lee In-seong (1912?1950), who was called the 'Korean Gauguin,' filed a lawsuit against the chairman of domestic company A to return dozens of his artworks, but lost in both the first and second trials.

Seoul High Court, Seocho-gu, Seoul.

According to the legal community on the 19th, the Civil Division 22 of the Seoul High Court (Chief Judge Ma Yong-ju) recently ruled against the family in the appeal trial of the lawsuit filed by Lee’s family against Chairman A for the return of the artworks, just as in the first trial.

Previously, dozens of Lee’s artworks owned by the family were transferred to Chairman A’s father in 1961. The family side, including the Lee In-seong Posthumous Works Recovery Committee, demanded the return of the paintings in 2018, stating that "Chairman A did not keep his promise to build a museum to exhibit the artworks and properly preserve and manage them."

During the trial, the family stated, "Our intention is not just to recover ownership but to have the artworks publicly displayed for the people," and revealed that "each painting was sold at the price of a pack of cigarettes at the time." They further claimed, "Chairman A should return the artworks after paying 2,400 won (current price of a pack of cigarettes 4,500 won × 32 paintings ÷ 60 paintings)." Chairman A’s side countered, asserting that "ownership of the artworks was lawfully acquired."

However, the first trial ruled in favor of Chairman A. The court at the time said, "Chairman A’s father was promoting the establishment of a museum when he received the paintings, and exhibited these paintings in the 1960s," adding, "but this alone is insufficient to conclude that an agreement was made on the conditions claimed by the family, or that the contract would not have been concluded if the conditions were not fulfilled. There is also no evidence of any disposal documents containing the family’s claims." The second trial agreed with this judgment.

Born in Daegu in 1912, Lee was a representative painter of modern Korean art, leaving behind iconic works boasting unique colors and compositions such as 'At Sanggok, Gyeongju,' 'One Autumn Day,' and 'Hawthorn.'

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