ARTSHIJI · RESEARCH & EXHIBITION KIT
Research & Exhibition Kit
Gathered for those preparing research, exhibitions and publications. Verified facts and editorial copy are kept apart.
About the painter
Verified factsByun Shi-Ji 변시지 · 邊時志 1926–2013
- Born on 22 May 1926 in Seohong-dong, Seogwipo, Jeju.
- In 1931 he moved to Japan with his father.
- In 1945 he graduated from the Department of Western Painting, Osaka School of Fine Arts, and moved to Tokyo to study under Terauchi Manjirō.
- In 1947 his FEMME was accepted at the 3rd Nitten.
- In 1948 he won the Kōfū Prize, the highest award of the 34th Kōfūkai Exhibition, as its youngest recipient. He was 22.
- In 1949 he held his first solo exhibition at the Shiseido Gallery, Ginza, Tokyo.
- On 15 November 1957 he returned to Korea and settled in Seoul.
- In 1975 he moved from Seoul to Jeju and taught at Jeju National University.
- He died on 8 June 2013, aged 87.
- In 2016 he was posthumously awarded the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit.
Written only from the records of the chronology. Ages are given in completed years. The full chronology →
A literary introduction
Editorial copyHe was born on an island and crossed the sea. He learned to paint in Japan. In Seoul he painted palaces and gardens. In 1975 he left Seoul for Jeju. There he laid the colours of Seoul down. One colour remained: the color of dried grass. On it he set a black pine, one horse, one distant boat. Wind passes through what he left unpainted. This archive sets one sentence before the paintings. Life is exile; art is a blessing.
This paragraph is editorial copy. It is not to be cited as a statement of fact. Its last sentence is not the painter’s; it is the sentence that opens this archive.
Key chronology
1926–2026-
1926
Born on 22 May in Seohong-dong, Seogwipo, Jeju.
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1931
Moved to Japan with his father.
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1945
Graduated from the Department of Western Painting, Osaka School of Fine Arts; moved to Tokyo and studied under Terauchi Manjirō.
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1947
FEMME accepted at the 3rd Nitten.
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1948
Kōfū Prize, the highest award of the 34th Kōfūkai Exhibition, at 22. Elected a full member of the Kōfūkai in October.
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1949
First solo exhibition, Shiseido Gallery, Ginza, Tokyo, 7–11 April.
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1957
Returned to Korea on 15 November, settling in Seoul.
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1958
Retrospective of oil paintings, Hwashin Gallery, Hwashin Department Store, Seoul.
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1975
Moved to Yongdam 3-dong, Jeju City. Full-time lecturer, Department of Art Education, College of Education, Jeju National University.
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1987
Appointed honorary director of the Seogwipo Municipal Gidang Art Museum; a permanent Byun Shi-Ji exhibition room established there.
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2007
Invited to the opening exhibition of the Korea Gallery at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. Two works, Wild Dance and The Road As It Is, shown on a ten-year loan (2007–2017).
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2013
Died on 8 June, aged 87. Civic funeral of the city of Seogwipo.
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2016
Posthumously awarded the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit.
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2026
Centenary. Opening of the road Byunshiji-ro in Seohong-dong, Seogwipo. Centenary exhibitions: Gidang Art Museum, Seogwipo; Korea University Museum, Seoul.
Each year links to that year in the full chronology.
Eight representative works
Plates · captionsJapan, Seoul, and early, middle and late Jeju: chosen to pass through all five periods.
FŪDO 038 · 1944 · Japan years
Self-Portrait
자화상
CaptionByun Shi-Ji, Self-Portrait, 1944변시지, 〈자화상〉, 1944
FŪDO 036 · 1965 · Seoul years
Autumn at Aeryeonjeong
가을 애련정
CaptionByun Shi-Ji, Autumn at Aeryeonjeong, 1965변시지, 〈가을 애련정〉, 1965
FŪDO 078 · 1979 · Early Jeju
The Jetty
선착장
CaptionByun Shi-Ji, The Jetty, 1979변시지, 〈선착장〉, 1979
FŪDO 008 · 1983 · Middle Jeju
Tropical Sun
열대의 태양
CaptionByun Shi-Ji, Tropical Sun, 1983변시지, 〈열대의 태양〉, 1983
FŪDO 079 · 1987 · Middle Jeju
The Old Pine and the Old Man
노송과 노인
CaptionByun Shi-Ji, The Old Pine and the Old Man, 1987변시지, 〈노송과 노인〉, 1987
FŪDO 018 · 1990 · Middle Jeju
Typhoon
태풍
CaptionByun Shi-Ji, Typhoon, 1990변시지, 〈태풍〉, 1990
FŪDO 026 · 2006 · Late Jeju
A Single Dot
점 하나
CaptionByun Shi-Ji, A Single Dot, 2006변시지, 〈점 하나〉, 2006
FŪDO 100 · 2013 · Late Jeju
The Last Work
마지막 작품
CaptionByun Shi-Ji, The Last Work, 2013변시지, 〈마지막 작품〉, 2013
Credit line Artworks by Byun Shi-Ji © Estate of Byun Shi-Ji / ARTSHIJI
The foundation
ARTSHIJI Foundation · Estate of Byun Shi-Ji
- What it does
- Protecting works and records while connecting them to research, exhibitions, publication and public use. Resources & Requests →
- Authentication
- The Byun Shi-Ji Foundation accepts requests for artwork authentication. The Certificate of Authenticity (COA) issued by the Foundation is a professional opinion, not a legal guarantee. Authentication guide →
- Catalogue
- BYUN SHIJI — Painter of the Wind: Exile, Blessing, and Climatic Modernism is a bilingual (Korean/English) catalogue produced in association with the Asian Cultural History Program, Smithsonian Institution. By Dr. Paul Michael Taylor and Byun Joung-hun. 137 pages, organized chronologically through the Japan, Seoul, and Jeju eras. Catalogue & prints →
- Places to encounter Byun Shi-Ji
- Byun Shi-Ji Art Space · Byun Shi-Ji Grim Garden · Family Cemetery, Hawon-dong · Byunshiji-ro · Gidang Art Museum Places of his life · art spaces →
Image use and enquiries
Copyright in works by Byun Shi-Ji is administered by the Estate of Byun Shi-Ji / ARTSHIJI. Viewing images on this website does not grant permission to reproduce, distribute, publish or commercially exploit them. Legitimate quotation for criticism or scholarship must identify the source and copyright holder clearly.
Artworks by Byun Shi-Ji © Estate of Byun Shi-Ji / ARTSHIJI
Request types
Please do not place or publish images in a final production before approval. Further material may be requested, depending on the enquiry.
About this kit
This page is the common reference for the Korean and English editions; both carry the same information.
Facts and chronology come from the records of the chronology; work details from the records of the 100 works.
Last updated · 한국어판 →