The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
Person
early 2000s
(Korean, 1929–2020)
Paper: 130.5 x 139 cm (51 3/8 x 54 3/4 in.); Framed: 146.3 x 155.5 x 6 cm (57 5/8 x 61 1/4 x 2 3/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 2021.102
© the Estate of Suh Se Ok. Courtesy Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, and London
Location: 236 Korean
Did You Know?
The artist's son, Do Ho Suh (서도호, b. 1962), is also an artist, who reinterprets Korea’s traditional house or hanok, exploring the concept of home and space.Description
Starting in the 1960s, Suh Se Ok focused on dismantling the boundary between the abstract and the figurative, and calligraphy and drawing, as a way to reimagine the Korean ink-painting tradition, which often stresses figurative realism. To visualize the strong gestural movement delivered by a massive amount of ink, the artist dashed a large brush over a sheet of thick and fibrous Korean mulberry paper. Here, he transformed the ink into a colossal abstract symbol, which evokes two classical Chinese characters: big (大) and person (人). Perhaps, the artist wanted to remind the viewer of monumental historical events achieved by everyday heroes.- ?–2021(Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)2021–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- “Installation. Creating Urgency: Modern and Contemporary Korean Art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 62, no. 2 (2022): back cover. Reproduced and Mentioned: Back cover.
- Juxtaposition and Juncture in Korean Modern and Contemporary Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 21, 2025-May 3, 2026).Creating Urgency: Modern and Contemporary Korean Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 22-October 23, 2022).
- {{cite web|title=Person|url=false|author=Suh Se Ok|year=early 2000s|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2021.102