The Aesthetic Journey of Seundja Rhee: From Earth to Cosmos

Abstract Seundja Rhee (1918–2009), celebrated in Korea and France, has remained largely unknown elsewhere. However, in the history of Korean women artists, especially those active abroad, she takes a remarkable place with achievements deserving reconsideration. Her six-decade career covered very distinctive stylistic periods, which she named: Figurative (1954–1956), Abstract (1957–1960), Woman and Earth (1961–1968), Superimposition (1969–1971), City (1972–1974), Yin and Yang (1975–1976), Nature (1977–1979), Road to the Antipodes (1980–1994), and Cosmos (1995–2008). This article groups Rhee’s oeuvre into four broader phases and examines her artistic development and life story.