Korean abstract painter Kim Tschang-Yeul dies at 91

Kim Tschang-Yeul, a pioneer of Korean abstract art known for his hyperrealistic water droplet paintings, has died at age 91. Born in what is now North Korea under Japanese rule, he moved to Seoul and studied art until the Korean War broke out in 1953. In the 1950s, he founded the Association of Modern Artists and joined the Informel movement. He exhibited at the 1961 Paris Biennale and the 1965 São Paulo Biennial, and held his first solo show in Seoul at 34. After moving to New York on a scholarship, he studied Abstract Expressionism and encountered Pop Art, which he initially disliked but later acknowledged as influential. Seeking an alternative to materialism, he became obsessed with the droplet motif, starting with amoeba-like forms in his 'Compositions' series. His breakthrough came in 1970 with 'Événement de la nuit', featuring a single perfect droplet on a black background, inspired by accidentally flicking paint onto a canvas. The droplet became his lifelong subject, serving a therapeutic role for trauma from the Korean War. He received France's Legion of Honour for arts, South Korea's National Order of Cultural Merit, and a museum dedicated to him on Jeju Island, to which he donated 220 works.