Lee Bul

executed in 2007

Lehmann Maupin, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above

France, Paris, Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain, Lee Bul: On Every New Shadow, 16 November, 2007 - 27 January, 2008, p. 93
Japan, Tokyo, Mori Art Museum, From Me, Belongs To You Only, 4 February - 27 May, 2012

This work is generally in good condition.
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One of the foremost contemporary artists in Korea today, Lee Bul first emerged into the New York art scene in 1997 at the Museum of Modern Art with a glittering installation of raw, freshly caught fish, each one meticulously encrusted with sequins and gold flowers. The striking aesthetic, of incongruous beauty and exquisite splendor underlain with a lurking sense of foreboding, followed Lee throughout her career. The dazzlingly evocative Sternbau represents the artist at her very best: the chillingly resplendent chandelier-like structure evokes a sublimely sinister beauty, evoking past eras of grandeur and foretelling catastrophes of utopian desire.

The work is inspired by futurist architect Bruno Taut’s fantastical visions of an “Alpine Architecture”, drawn up just before the end of the First World War and the collapse of the German empire. In an attempt to divert mankind’s energy away from war and conflict, Taut proposed the construction of dazzling cities in the Alps, made entirely of crystal and glass.¹ Combining the architectural aesthetic with an obsessive opulence, Sternbau constitutes a satirical homage to Taut’s feverish optimism: suspended precariously from the ceiling, iridescent with dripping crystal beads and draped with a dense patina of chainmail, Sternbau is simultaneously graceful and hauntingly ominous, confronting viewers with its ravishing, ethereal magnificence.

Lee has received international recognition for her conceptually and aesthetically provocative oeuvre. First achieving fame for her acclaimed “Cyborgs” series in the 1990s, Lee demonstrates virtuosity across diverse media, from drawing and painting to performance and sculpture. After receiving the prestigious Hugo Boss Prize in 1998, Lee solidified her status as an international artist in 1999 when she represented Korea in the 48th Venice Biennale. Her work has been featured in solo presentations throughout the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland; and Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, amongst others. In 2014 Lee received the Noon Award at the 10th Gwangju Biennale.

¹ Wenny Teo, Art Review, 12 September 2014