Lee Ufan Museum Opens in Arles, France... Third Location After Naoshima and Busan

Artist Lee Ufan. Photo by Asia Economy DB

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A museum bearing the name of modern art master Lee Ufan has opened in the southern French city of Arles. According to foreign media on the 18th (local time), the 'Lee Ufan Museum' was inaugurated on the 15th at the Vernon Hotel in Arles. It occupies the first floor of a three-story building constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries, covering an area of 1,350㎡. Renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando renovated the space, creating an area dedicated solely to the artist. Approximately thirty paintings and about ten installations and sculptures are on display.

Spaces exclusively showcasing Lee Ufan's works also exist on Naoshima Island in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, and in Busan, South Korea. The former was also designed by Ando. It was established with support from Soichiro Fukutake, chairman of Benesse Holdings, a Japanese educational publishing company that has led regional economic revitalization by building facilities such as Benesse House (a combined museum and hotel) on Naoshima. The museum presents a permanent exhibition of Lee’s works from the 1970s to recent pieces. Lee graduated from Nihon University’s Department of Philosophy in 1961 and worked as a professor at Tokyo Tama Art University from 1973 to 2007. The other space, located in front of the Busan Museum of Art, was personally selected and designed by Lee himself. He took charge of everything from adjusting the building’s height and deciding on finishing materials to installing twenty donated works. Born in 1936 in Haman, Gyeongnam, Lee spent his childhood in Busan.

France has long been a country where Lee Ufan envisioned establishing a museum. After introducing his work at the Paris Youth Biennale in 1971, he maintained a studio in Paris and was active there. He served as a visiting professor at the ?cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and held a solo sculpture exhibition at the Palace of Versailles in 2014. Arles welcomed and cooperated early on with the museum’s establishment. Initially planned to open in 2020, the project was delayed due to the spread of COVID-19. Arles is a city rich in ancient Roman ruins and is also famous as the place where Vincent van Gogh stayed in the 19th century and painted over 300 works, including 'The Night Caf?.'

In an interview with foreign media, Lee said, "This is neither Korea nor Japan. It is a place with a deep history since the Roman Empire," adding, "I hope history and art meet here, collide, and harmonize to create a new resonance." He regarded the Lee Ufan Museum not as an exhibition space but as a living space. Lee stated, "My work does not impose a perspective. I myself am not at the forefront but take a step back," and expressed his wish that "people focus their mind and spirit in front of the works and listen to themselves."

Lee Ufan is a world-renowned artist who transcended the limits of contemporary art through Eastern philosophy. He is considered a leading figure of the Mono-ha (School of Things) art movement, known for his 'non-painting paintings.' Breaking away from the traditional framework of creating something by painting with a brush, he depicts objects as they are, emphasizing not only the objects themselves but also space, position, context, and relationships. His works consistently fetch high prices in the domestic auction market. However, Lee himself is somewhat reluctant about this. He hopes that his works will be appreciated with proper understanding and a genuine love for art.

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