Art and Politics: Picasso's Korean War Paintings and Abstract Art of Korea and Japan, 1950s-1960s

Abstract

Nineteen seventy-seven, a student studying art in Seoul received a book by post from Japan. It was from his father who was traveling in Japan. When the seemingly intact wrapping was unfolded, a volume from the Gendai-sekai-bijutsu-jenshu was revealed. The Gendaisekai-bijutsu-jenshu was written in Japanese and published in Japan, and the gift from the student's father was volume 14, Picasso.' At the back of the book, plates of Picasso's works were introduced in black and white. Strangely, however, one of the pieces was blacked out with a black marker pen(Fig. 1). The title of the artwork, which was printed in Japanese, had also been blacked out. However, the French title had been left intact. It read Massacre en Coree. The erased piece was Massacre in Korea by Picasso(Fig. 2), which had first been on exhibit in 1951 at the Salon de Mai.