Editor's Note: The following opinion article is contributed by Choe Chong-dae, a longstanding member of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea and enthusiast of international cultural and historical affairs.
SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - My longstanding interest in art and my particular appreciation for cultural heritage recently brought me to a special exhibition honoring the life and legacy of Constantin Brâncuși (1876–1957). Entitled Brâncuși – From Romania to Paris and the World, the exhibition was presented at the Seoul History Museum. I had the privilege of attending the opening ceremony on July 3 at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Cezar Manole Armeanu, Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Korea.
The program featured a striking photo exhibition showcasing some of Brâncuși’s most representative masterpieces, providing guests a unique opportunity to explore the creative vision of the artist widely regarded as the founding father of modern sculpture. Standing at the exhibition, surrounded by photographs of his iconic works while sipping a rich glass of Romanian wine, I found myself thinking less about rigid art history and more about how desperately our fast-paced modern world needs his philosophy right now.
The event carried profound historical weight, as 2026 marks the momentous 150th anniversary of Brâncuși's birth. To commemorate the milestone, the exhibition featured a screening of a documentary film by Cornel Mihalache, a prominent Romanian director, senior TV journalist, and the recently appointed manager of the Brâncuși Center in Târgu Jiu. A lifelong Brâncuși scholar, Mihalache has spent decades documenting the sculptor’s life and fiercely exposing art forgeries that threaten the authenticity of his work. The screening was followed by an engaging panel discussion between Romanian and Korean art critics.
Born in rural Romania, Brâncuși brought his homeland’s rich folk woodcarving heritage with him when he moved to Paris in 1904. He fiercely protected his artistic independence, famously leaving a highly coveted spot in Auguste Rodin’s studio because, as he legendarily declared, “Nothing can grow under big trees.”
Free from Rodin’s influence, Brâncuși developed a revolutionary aesthetic characterized by simplicity, purity, and a relentless search for the essence of form. Rather than merely reproducing outward appearances, he sought to express profound metaphysical truths through clean lines and refined shapes. This vision gave rise to such celebrated masterpieces as Sleeping Muse (an exploration of slumber and creative inspiration), The Kiss, and the Bird in Space series, which triumphantly captured not the physical likeness of a bird, but the very concept of flight.
One of the defining milestones of Brâncuși’s career came in 1926, when a version of Bird in Space arrived in the United States. Perplexed customs officials refused to recognize the abstract sculpture as art, instead classifying it as an industrial object subject to hefty import duties. The ensuing historic court case ended in Brâncuși’s favor, securing a landmark victory that legally validated the entire modern art movement.
Brâncuși’s greatest public achievement is found in Târgu Jiu, Romania, where he created a monumental ensemble honoring the brave soldiers who defended the city during World War I. Completed in 1938, the outdoor complex consists of The Table of Silence, The Gate of the Kiss, and the soaring Endless Column. Together, these monumental works form a powerful, poetic meditation on sacrifice, memory, and spiritual transcendence. Carefully restored in the early twenty-first century, the site remains one of Romania’s most treasured cultural landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Today, Brâncuși’s legacy spans the globe, leaving a profound mark on the trajectory of Korean modern and contemporary art. By embedding himself in the European avant-garde, he pioneered a radical approach centered on abstraction and the essential spirit of his subjects, fundamentally redefining what sculpture could be.
For generations of Korean artists studying or working in France, encountering Brâncuși's legacy through European museums, galleries, and the École de Parismilieu proved transformative. His enduring impact is most evident in how Korean artists approach two core concepts: Spiritual Abstraction (truncating reality into essential, organic forms—a pursuit that deeply resonated with traditional Korean aesthetics of simplicity, restraint, and natural beauty) and Material Consciousness (an artistic reverence for raw mediums such as stone, wood, or metal, allowing the inherent character, texture, and voice of the material to express itself).
While masters of the European diaspora like Lee Ungno and Kim Tschang-yeul engaged deeply with Western modernism to forge their own distinct paths, later generations of Korean sculptors working in Europe drew even more directly from the minimalist and abstract foundations Brâncuși helped establish.
Perhaps the most compelling connection lies in the deep philosophical affinity between the Romanian sculptor and the pioneers of Dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome painting), such as Park Seo-bo and Ha Chong-hyun. Though working with canvas and alternative mediums rather than chiseling stone, these Korean artists beautifully mirrored Brâncuși’s foundational ethos. Their rigorous emphasis on repetitive rhythm, extreme restraint, the tactile materiality of the medium, and art as a grueling form of spiritual discipline all echo Brâncuși’s lifelong quest to strip away the superfluous and capture the pure essence of being.
Marking Constantin Brâncuși’s 150th anniversary, the Brâncuși – From Romania to Paris and the World exhibition strengthened the bond between Romania and Korea—paving the way, hopefully, for a full display of his original sculptures in Korea soon.
[About the Columnist: Choe Chong-dae is a prominent columnist and a longstanding member of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea. An enthusiast of international cultural and historical affairs, he has contributed regular opinion columns to The Korea Times for more than four decades. He also serves on the editorial board of the Newsletter of the Korea-America Association and is the founding director of the Korea–Swedish Association. In 2010, he was awarded Sweden’s Royal Order of the Polar Star, one of the country’s most prestigious honors.]
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