ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Lee Ufan’s philosophical dialogue with Rembrandt at Hamburger Bahnhof

exhibition · 2026-04-27

Korean artist Lee Ufan (b. 1936) is the subject of a major exhibition at Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath. The show spans his career from 1968 to the present, featuring works such as the early Fourth Structures (1968) and Relatum (1968-70). Ufan’s practice, rooted in his philosophical studies at the University of Tokyo, moves between painting, sculpture, and installation, engaging first with Western Minimal Art and later with Eastern traditions through natural stones and organic materials. Highlights include Relatum-Language (1971-2022), a dimly lit room with stones on cushions, and the centerpiece dialogue between Rembrandt’s Self Portrait with a Velvet Beret (1634) from the Gemäldegalerie and Ufan’s Relatum – The Narrow Sky Road (2020-2023), evoking a dry garden like Ryōan-ji in Kyoto. The exhibition runs until April 28, 2024.

Key facts

  • Lee Ufan was born in 1936.
  • He studied philosophy at the University of Tokyo after moving there in 1956.
  • A major retrospective was held at the Guggenheim Museum New York in 2011.
  • The current exhibition at Hamburger Bahnhof is curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath.
  • The show includes works from 1968 to the present.
  • Early works like Fourth Structures (1968) use fluorescent paints on wood panels.
  • Relatum (1968-70) consists of steel plates arranged in space.
  • The exhibition features a dialogue between Rembrandt’s Self Portrait with a Velvet Beret (1634) and Ufan’s Relatum – The Narrow Sky Road (2020-2023).
  • The Rembrandt painting is from the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
  • The installation evokes the karesansui dry garden of Ryōan-ji in Kyoto.
  • The exhibition runs until April 28, 2024.
  • Venue address: Invalidenstraße 50-51, Berlin.

Entities

Artists

  • Lee Ufan
  • Rembrandt van Rijn

Institutions

  • Hamburger Bahnhof
  • Guggenheim Museum New York
  • Gemäldegalerie Berlin
  • University of Tokyo
  • Ryōan-ji

Locations

  • Berlin
  • Germany
  • New York
  • United States
  • Tokyo
  • Japan
  • Kyoto
  • Invalidenstraße 50-51

Sources