The Metropolitan’s Muse

Lee Bul, one of South Korea’s most influential contemporary artists and a figure we have closely followed, officially joined Hauser & Wirth this year, with a solo exhibition planned for New York in 2026. This strategic move not only signals her departure from long-term representation with Thaddaeus Ropac and Lehmann Maupin, but also marks her re-emergence on the global stage with an expanded international profile.

Her ongoing Perdu series, which we have closely followed since 2022, underscores that she has now reached a decisive juncture in her career trajectory. The Perdu series underscores Lee Bul’s ongoing investigation into the symbolic resonance and material potential of surface and texture—a throughline that runs across her practice, whether employing velvet or other textiles. In these works, she combines acrylic pigments of varied tonalities with mother-of-pearl, meticulously layering them onto wooden panels. After the paint cures, the surface is polished to a marble-like luster. Underlying linear compositions, preserved through laser incisions and inlaid elements, lend structural clarity to the painterly surface. This labor-intensive process yields works that echo the sensibilities of Western Abstract Expressionism while sustaining a distinctly material-driven language, achieving equilibrium between aesthetic seduction and architectural rigor.

Within the historiography of postwar Korean art, women have long been marginalized. Lee Bul stands as one of the few pioneering female voices to transcend both geographical and gendered constraints. Her earliest notoriety came from provocative performance-based works, before evolving into a multidisciplinary practice spanning sculpture, installation, and an architectonic visual vocabulary. Her seminal piece Untitled (Cravings White) remains on view at Tate Modern, underscoring her position within the global contemporary canon.

Lee Bul’s international visibility solidified early. In 1999, she represented South Korea at the Venice Biennale and simultaneously held a solo exhibition at Kunsthalle Bern. More than two decades on, her practice continues to generate new bodies of work that reinforce her dual status as a critically esteemed and market-relevant artist—an achievement rare among Asian contemporaries.

Her market trajectory reflects steady, long-term momentum. Far from diminishing, collector demand has accelerated, buoyed by her consistent output and endorsements from leading global institutions. While Korean collectors remain her foundational base, the past decade has seen increasing acquisition activity from European, American, and broader Asian collectors, driving her market to unprecedented levels.

Institutional validation further cements her stature. In 2024, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will unveil a commissioned project for its Fifth Avenue façade, placing her in dialogue with previous artists such as Carol Bove (2021), Hew Locke (2022), and Nairy Baghramian (2023). In September 2025, a major retrospective at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, aligned with Frieze Week, will subsequently travel to M+ in Hong Kong. These milestones will not only consolidate her scholarly significance but also amplify her global market visibility.

From a long-term perspective, Lee Bul has transcended the categorization of “Korea’s leading female artist.” She embodies an Asian artistic voice that has penetrated the mainstream of international contemporary art. Supported by Hauser & Wirth’s expansive platform and a forthcoming cycle of major institutional exhibitions, her trajectory is poised for further ascendance. For collectors, she remains a quintessential blue-chip artist whose work represents both cultural capital and secure long-term investment.