1970-1979: Transformation of the Art World and the Growth of “Korean” Art

A considerable number of changes occurred throughout the art world in the 1970s in Korea. Firstly, the Korea Culture and Arts Foundation was established and the National Museum of Modern Art, Korea (now MMCA) moved to Deoksugung Palace. Secondly, there was the expansion of exhibition spaces, the formation of the art market, and the diversification of international exchanges. The National Art Exhibition [Daehanminguk misul jeollamhoe, also known as Gukjeon] changed its operating procedure, and the non-governmental juried exhibition was born. With the launch of art magazines, the revitalization of art criticism, and the formation of female artists organizations, the quantitative expansion and diversification of the art world were visualized. Moreover, cracks appeared along the traditional genre concepts of painting and sculpture, with new terms and genres emerging, such as two-dimensional art, three-dimensional art, installation art, the event, and video. Most of all, printmaking made an exceptional development. There were also major changes made in the styles and trends of artworks. Artists in the 1970s systematically investigated the latest trends in the overseas art scene and produced a discourse that prioritized concepts and logic over formal experimentation. As “Korean democracy” was politically emphasized, artists were also interested in exploring “Koreanness,” resulting in the establishment of “Korean modernism.” 

Expansion of Exhibition Spaces and the Formation of the Art Market
In the 1970s, the MMCA’s policy moved its focus from hiring out their galleries to organizing their own exhibitions. The MMCA, which opened in 1969, organized 60 Years of Modern Korean Art Exhibition (1972) featuring works from 1900 to 1960. MMCA began to lay the foundation for Korea’s modern art history by collecting important works from this occasion. In 1973, when the MMCA moved to Seokjojeon Pavilion in Deoksugung Palace, the project of contextualizing modern and contemporary art began in earnest. In 1973, in commemoration of its relocation to Deoksugung Palace, MMCA held One Hundred Active Korean Painters (1973) to highlight prominent artists at the time. From 1974 to 1978, the MMCA hosted an annual show under the title of the “Exhibition of Modern Korean Art,” which sought to establish modern and contemporary art history through special exhibitions that illuminated the historical trends in sculpture (1974), crafts (1975), Eastern painting (1976), Western painting (1977), and calligraphy, architecture, and photography (1978). 

At the same time, this period also witnessed the launching of many commercial art galleries. While the galleries of previous era were centered on hiring their space, the galleries of the 1970s focused on trading artworks and played a leading role in the formation of the art market. In the 1970s, commercial galleries, including Hyundai Hwarang, Myeong-dong Gallery, and Seoul Gallery, opened up in Insa-dong, Seoul, forming a gallery district. Private galleries also opened their doors in Daegu and Busan. In addition to buying and selling artworks, galleries published art magazines, such as Hwarang, Sun Misul, Hyeondae Misul, Misul Chunchu, providing an avenue for research on artists and art criticism. 

Emergence of Non-Governmental Juried Exhibitions and the Advancement of Regional Artists  
The status of the National Art Exhibition, founded in 1949, remained steadfast in the 1970s. However, as the National Art Exhibition continued for over twenty years, the limitations of the system came into view and the system was reformed accordingly. The National Art Exhibition was divided into spring and fall exhibitions, with the spring National Art Exhibition featuring non-figurative painting and sculpture, crafts, photography, and architecture, while the fall edition presenting figurative painting and sculpture, calligraphy, and Four Gentlemen (i.e. plum blossoms, orchids, chrysanthemums, and bamboo) paintings. Meanwhile, the so-called “era of non-governmental juried exhibitions” began with large-scale competitions hosted by newspaper companies. First, at the Korean Art Grand Award Exhibition hosted by Hankook Ilbo newspaper company in 1970, Kim Whanki, who was active in the U.S., won the grand prize with his Where, in What Form, Shall We Meet Again. Following from this, the non-governmental juried exhibitions began to attract attention, and in 1978, JoongAng Ilbo newspaper company held the JoongAng Fine Art Prize, and Dong-A Ilbo newspaper company held the Dong-A Art Festival. At the non-governmental juried exhibitions, hyper-realistic paintings received attention as a new art trend. JoongAng Ilbo newspaper company and the Samsung Foundation of Culture began publishing Gyegan Misul (Art quarterly), playing a leading role in the formation of critical discourse. Regional artists also joined forces to host contemporary art festivals. Starting with the Daegu Contemporary Art Festival in 1974, the Seoul Contemporary Art Festival (1975), the Gwangju Contemporary Art Festival (1976), and the Gangwon Provincial Contemporary Art Festival  (1977) were held in various regions, and these came to serve as an opportunity to expand the base of contemporary art.


Reinvigorating International Exchanges
The most groundbreaking change in the international exchanges during the 1970s was the fact that South Korea hosted the Seoul International Print Biennale. Many professional printmakers, who studied printmaking in Japan, France, and the U.S, made their debut in the 1970s. Hosting international art shows in Korea demonstrated that its status in art world had risen to the international level. Until the 1960s, participation in biennials was important for Korean artists, as it allowed them to keep abreast of international art trends, but in the 1970s, they became more self-reliant, maintaining an equal relationship with the West.

 It is also noteworthy that exchanges with Japan were active among international exchanges in the 1970s. After the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan in 1965, extensive exchanges were made in art scene around 1970. At the center of these exchanges was Lee Ufan, who went to Japan to study aesthetics. Debuting as an artist and art critic in Japan, he traveled back and forth between the two countries to present his works and writings, playing a substantial role in the exchange of artists between the two countries. Focusing on monochrome painters, solo and group exhibitions were held at the Tokyo Gallery and Muramatsu Gallery in Japan, and the exhibition Korea: Facet of Contemporary Art (1977) was held at the Tokyo Central Museum of Art.

Diversifying Artist Groups and Production of Discourse 
Compared to previous eras, many art groups came and went during the 1970s. The activities of groups such as the Korean Avant Garde Association (AG) and the Space and Time Group (ST) were not limited to exhibitions, but also in the production of discourse. AG, which recruited critics as members, dedicated to the production of art theories by publishing an association journal prior to special exhibitions, while ST members organized study groups with critics to systematically research and disseminate art theories. In addition, the Korean Young Artists’ Association [Hanguk misul cheongnyeon jakgahoe] established an independent exhibition space and published the magazine Cheong-nyeon Misul. Artists’ interest in theory and discourse contributed to the formation of an artistic trend in the 1970s that held ideas and logic in high regard. Meanwhile, female artists formed art groups based on their specialties. Led by the Korea Woman Artists Association [Hanguk yeoryu hwagahoe], groups like the Korean Sculptress Association [Hanguk yeoryu jogakgahoe] and the Korean Women Handicraft Association [Hanguk yeoryu gongyegahoe] were formed, encouraging the activities of female artists by holding exhibitions on a regular basis. 

The Search for and Results of “Koreanness”
While artists in the 1950s and 1960s showed a strong Western-oriented tendency, artists in the 1970s pursued art that reflected Korean tradition and reality. Thus, until the 1950s and 1960s, while the absolute standard for judging avant-garde art was modern art developing in the West together with a spirit of resistance, the 1970s, in contrast, demanded a great deal of creativity that reflected the reality of Korea. The plane monochrome paintings that appeared in this period displayed the flatness of painting that lay at the core of critic Clement Greenberg’s modernism but was also at the same time a new art form that reflected the Eastern spirit, including the thoughts of Lao-Tzu (老子) and Chan-Tzu (莊子). The tendency to value Eastern aesthetics, ideas, and logic also emerged in new genres such as events and installations. As this type of art came to be defined as an expression of “the East” and “Koreanness” that deviates from Western anthropocentrism, it received attention as an art form representative of Korean art at numerous international exhibitions and became established as typical Korean art in the 1970s.