Kwon Ok-Yeon (1923-2011) pursued his artistic studies at the Teikoku Art School, currently Musashino Art University, and in Paris after graduating from Kyungbock High School in Korea. He held his solo exhibitions at numerous galleries including the Dongwha Department Store Gallery, National Library of Korea, Shinsegae Gallery, and Deoksugung branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, MMCA, Korea. He also participated in various group exhibitions at home and abroad including the Salon des Realites Nouvelles in 1959, the 1960 Surrealisme Exhibition in Paris, the 8th Bienal de Sao Paulo in 1965, the 1968 Contemporary Korean Paintings in Tokyo, and the 1995 South and North Korea Peace Art Exhibition in Tokyo. Kwon was the recipient of the Ministry of Culture and Education Prize at the 1953 Grand Art Exhibition of Korea; the Special Selection Award at the 1956 National Art Exhibition of the Republic of Korea; the selection prize at the Salon d’Automne in 1958; special selection at the 1960 National Art Exhibition; the 1986 National Academy of Arts Award; the Precious Crown Order of Cultural Merit in 1990; the 3.1 Cultural Award in 1994; and the Certificate of Merit for Artist in 1998. He was also selected as the Artist of the Year in 2001 by the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea, currently MMCA. Kwon served as a director of the Geumgok Art Museum and panel judge for the Lee Jung Seob Art Award, and was selected as a member of the National Academy of Arts of the Republic of Korea in 1983.
Kwon Ok-Yeon went to France in 1957 and experienced Art Informel first hand, based on which he developed his own unique abstract
paintings. Meeting with Andre Breton in Paris, and once being invited to a Surrealism exhibition, Kwon kept a certain distance from European Informel extremists and sought formative subject matter related to memories of his hometown, such as ancient tomb murals, Chinese characters, and earthenware and woodenware. Kwon original oeuvre began from Informel art, then morphed into interest in indigenous materials, exploration of pure, original form, and abstract fantasy. Instead of following certain trends, he put forth his own unique color and formative sense and drew mainly women, houses, the sun and the moon, birds, trees, or butterflies throughout his life.
