KWON OK YON
A celebrated and esteemed figure in Korean contemporary painting, Kwon Ok Yon’s illustrious career spans over four decades. His work has been exhibited extensively both nationally and abroad, and was one of the 10 representative artists exhibited in Pyeongyang, North Korea as part of the Chosun Asia Pacific Peace Committee, 1999. He was the recipient of the ‘98 Meritorious Artist Award, 1998, the 3・1 Culture Award, 1994, and his work is housed in many public collections across South Korea.
Born in 1923 to a prestigious family in Hamheung, South Hamgyeong Province, Korea, Kwon Ok Yon was the fifth-generation only son in the Kwon Jinsa family. Originally named “Suk Yon,” but was renamed as “Ok Yon,” meaning “pure like jade,” he learned calligraphy under the guidance of his grandfather from childhood. Kwon studied drawing at the Kawabata Private Art School in Tokyo, and was later accepted by the Department of Western Painting at the Imperial School of Art - now known as Musashino Art University, Tokyo.
In June, 2011, The Muija Foundation for Arts and Culture, named after Kwon Ok Yon’s pen name “Muija,” was founded at Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. On the afternoon of December 16 2011, Kwon passed away at the age of 89.
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