In collaboration with Hamburger Bahnhof, the Gemäldegalerie is hosting the inaugural retrospective of Lee Ufan, a prominent figure in both the Mono-ha school in Japan and Korea's Dansaekhwa movement. Spanning six decades and featuring around 60 works, the exhibition introduces visitors to the influential art movements of 1970s Japan and Korea, providing a fresh perspective on Western European art icons. Born in South Korea during Japanese colonial rule, Lee's early paintings exhibited optical illusions, with a pivotal moment in 1968 during student protests, leading to performative actions and the coining of the term "Mono-ha" for the Tokyo art movement rejecting traditional notions of art.

Mono-ha artists, active from 1968 to 1975, combined raw and industrial materials to foreground the world rather than express the artist's ego. Lee's Relatum sculpture series, starting in 1968, embodies this approach. Differing from American minimalists, Lee's minimalism emphasizes the relation of materials to each other, space, and viewers. The retrospective showcases his adaptability, with sculptures like Relatum – Memory of Place displayed for the first time since 1985. Additionally, the exhibition explores Lee's involvement in the Dansaekhwa movement, notably his series From Point and From Line, illustrating the movement's exploration of abstraction and materiality in monochrome painting. Lee's study of Rembrandt's works culminates in a dialogue between his installation and Rembrandt's famous self-portrait, further enriching the exhibition's narrative. This exhibition runs until 28 April 2024. 

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