Jongtae Choi

Choi Jongtae (b. 1932), a renowned elder among Korean sculptors, has been recognized since the 1970s for his sculptures combining figurative and abstract forms. 1960s-70s Korea was an era when amorphous abstract form influenced by European Art Informel dominated the art scene, as seen in Dansaekhwa. In that atmosphere, Choi began building a unique world of work through sculptures appropriately combining the characteristics of abstract and figurative art, and he continues to use this method even today. His comment, “I have experienced long-lasting conflicts between the two poles of Giacometti and Brancusi, Ucchin Chang and Jongyoung Kim, Egyptian and Greek art, and East and West,” clearly reveals the work philosophy he has followed. That is, he has wanted to create works that narrowed the gaps between different historical styles of art and aesthetics of the East and the West, while remaining within the bounds of two-dimensional and three-dimensional art, painting and sculpture.