Chestnut tree

This tapestry bearing a calligraphic abstract painting produced by Lee Ungno in 1972 was made in 2008 by Mobilier National, a French national service agency under the supervision of the French Ministry of Culture, at the commission of the Metropolitan Government of Daejeon. This tapestry is widely regarded as a fine piece of art that perfectly combines the artistic excellence of Lee Ungno with the top-quality weaving technique of the French agency. It was in 1972 that Lee Ungno came to establish a relationship with Mobilier National, by which time he had become highly regarded in the international art world thanks to the silver medal he had received at the São Paulo Art Biennial, the foundation of the Academy of Oriental Painting in Paris, and the solo exhibitions he had held in New York, Washington, Pittsburgh, Frankfurt, Cologne, Rome, and Paris. On February 10, 1972, 12 members of the advisory committee to the Bureau of Artistic Creation unanimously consented to the purchase of a work by Lee Ungno. The connection between the French agency and the artist led the Daejeon Museum of Art (DMA) to ask the agency to create tapestries of two paintings by Lee, one of which is shown here, entitled Chestnut. The black calligraphic symbols with white outlines set against a blue background on a white layout is a classic example of Lee’s calligraphic abstract works of the 1970s