Yi Eungro, 1904 – 1989
Yi Eungro's 99 Most Famous Paintings
Untitled (1969) is the painting Yi Eungro is best remembered for; it belongs to the Lee Ungno Museum, Daegu. Composition (1970) and Composition (1970) complete the trio of best-loved canvases. Our catalogue counts 99 works by Yi Eungro. Here are the 99 most famous, with the year, the museum and the story of each canvas.
Ranked by our popularity score, which combines the searches, visits and orders for each work. Updated November 2026.
- Born · died
- 1904 – 1989, Seoul
- Movement
- Abstract expressionism
- Works in our catalogue
- 99
- Most famous
- Untitled (1969)
- Most works at
- Lee Ungno Museum
The ten best-loved paintings by Yi Eungro
9
The travels of Marco Polo Series
This captivating piece draws its rich thematic wellspring from The travels of Marco Polo Series, a monumental body of work conceived by the masterful Korean-French artist, Yi Eungro. Far more than a mere depiction, this painting functions as a visual memoir—a dreamlike cartography of an unknown world viewed through the sophisticated lens of East Asian perspective meeting European curiosity. The very essence of the series speaks to cultural exchange and…
10
The travels of Marco Polo Series
In the evocative depths of The Travels of Marco Polo Series, we encounter a world where the boundaries between historical chronicle and personal dreamscape dissolve. Created by the master Lee Ungno in 1980, this particular piece serves as a window into a lost narrative—a fragment of a grand, seventy-nine-painting odyssey that was intended for a book never published. This sense of "unseen history" lends the work an aura of profound…
Yi Eungro: canvases 11 to 99 of the ranking
The artwork presents a monochrome landscape rendered in black ink on a light, absorbent surface. The composition is defined by a series of triangular forms that suggest the…
A Journey Across Horizons: Exploring Lee Ungno’s “The Travels of Marco Polo Series” Lee Ungno (Yi Eungro), born in Seoul in 1904, was a Korean-born French painter and…
In the profound stillness of Yi Eungro’s The Travels of Marco Polo Series, we find ourselves transported not merely to a geographical location, but to a dreamscape where…
#14
Composition
In the evocative masterpiece Composition, created in 1970, the legendary Korean artist Lee Ungno (Yi Eungro) achieves a breathtaking synthesis of Eastern materiality and Western abstraction. This vertical…
A Panoramic Vision of Exploration and Harmony: Yi Ungno’s “The Travels of Marco Polo Series” Yi Ungno's "The Travels of Marco Polo Series," painted in 1980, stands as…
#16
Mask
In the quiet intimacy of Mask, we encounter a profound dialogue between form and raw material. Created in 1985, this evocative sculpture serves as a hauntingly beautiful testament…
#17
Composition
#18
Totem
#19
Composition
#20
Face
#21
Totem
#22
Composition
#23
Mask
#24
Composition
#25
Self-portrait
#26
People
#27
Composition
In 1967, Lee Ungno was imprisoned for 2 years and 6 months for his involvement in the East Berlin Affair. He suffered most from an inability to continue…
#28
Self-portrait
#29
Composition
#30
Composition
#31
Composition
#32
Composition
#33
Bamboo
The starting point of Lee Ungno’s artistic world was bamboo, one of the “Four Gracious Plants (Sagunja),” and it was also bamboo that he favored most as a…
#54
Composition
#62
City
#63
Composition
#64
Composition
#65
Composition
#66
People
#67
People
#68
People
#69
Composition
#70
Composition
#71
People
#72
People
#73
People
#74
Composition
#75
Composition
#76
Composition
#78
People
#79
People
#80
People
#81
Composition
#82
Hyangwonjeong
#83
Untitled
#84
Composition
#85
People
#86
Composition
In the evocative realm of mid-century abstraction, few works capture the primal essence of nature as tangibly as Yi Eungro’s Composition. Created in 1964, this masterpiece serves as…
#87
People
In the vast, evocative expanse of Yi Eungro’s 1985 masterpiece, "People," we are invited into a profound meditation on the collective human experience. This monumental work, measuring an…
This painting is from Goam’s The Travels of Marco Polo Series, which he undertook when asked to produce artworks for a book of that name. The whole series…
This painting is from Goam’s The Travels of Marco Polo Series, which he undertook when asked to produce artworks for a book of that name. The whole series…
This painting is from Goam’s The Travels of Marco Polo Series, which he undertook when asked to produce artworks for a book of that name. The whole series…
This painting is from Goam’s The Travels of Marco Polo Series, which he undertook when asked to produce artworks for a book of that name. The whole series…
This painting is from Goam’s The Travels of Marco Polo Series, which he undertook when asked to produce artworks for a book of that name. The whole series…
#93
Untitled
#94
Untitled
#95
Landscape
This painting is an early example that captures Ungno’s major step into abstract art. Although it is still suggestive of specific forms such as tree branches and leaves,…
#96
Composition
In the 1970s and ‘80s, Lee Ungno produced a lot of print works that were connected with his Abstract Letter or People series in content, while showing diverse…
#97
People
Lee Ungno started his People series in 1979 and continued it until his death. In the early series, people appeared as dancing figures in groups, while the Series…
#98
Composition
A great example of the constructive Abstract Letter works that Lee Ungno made in the 1970s, this painting represents the Chinese character 壽 (soo), meaning ‘life’. The solid…
#99
Composition
This work, which is linked to Abstract Letter series in content, presents a dramatic contrast between the white background and the red form. Ungno’s print works, except those…
Yi Eungro's canvases, period by period
Late Medieval
1965 – 1974 · 5 works in this listMature Period
1964 – 1981 · 20 works in this list
Late Period
1976 – 1985 · 6 works in this list
What Yi Eungro painted most
The four subjects that return most often on these canvases, each with its best-loved example.
Korean art 8 works
Landscape 5 works
Geometric forms 5 works
Symbolic imagery 4 works
Where Yi Eungro's canvases hang
The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Yi Eungro | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Lee Ungno Museum |
Daegu | 99 | Untitled, Composition, Composition |
Yi Eungro's most famous canvas, decade after decade
-
1950s
Ranked 95 of 99
Landscape
This painting is an early example that captures Ungno’s major step into abstract art. Although it is still suggestive of specific forms such as tree branches and leaves,…
-
1960s
1 of 99Untitled
-
1970s
Canvas 2 of 99Composition
-
1980s
Canvas 9 of 99The travels of Marco Polo Series
This captivating piece draws its rich thematic wellspring from The travels of Marco Polo Series, a monumental body of work conceived by the masterful Korean-French artist, Yi Eungro.…
Yi Eungro's canvases, question by question
Which canvas is Yi Eungro most remembered for?Read the answer
Untitled (1969), Lee Ungno Museum, Daegu. Composition (1970) and Composition (1970) follow.
Untitled: how old was Yi Eungro when it was painted?Read the answer
Yi Eungro, born in 1904, was 65 years old: Untitled dates from 1969.
What are Yi Eungro's ten most famous canvases?Read the answer
Untitled, Composition, Composition, I Ching 64 Hexagrams Sequence(山風蠱), I Ching 64 Hexagrams Sequence(澤風大過), I Ching 64 Hexagrams Sequence (火風鼎), Untitled, People, The travels of Marco Polo Series and The travels of Marco Polo Series. Each canvas in the ranking above comes with its year and its museum.
How many paintings did Yi Eungro create?Read the answer
99 works by Yi Eungro are in our catalogue, dated 1950 to 1989.
Where do Yi Eungro's most famous canvases hang today?Read the answer
Mostly in Lee Ungno Museum (Daegu); the list above names each museum and its canvases.
When did Yi Eungro paint the most famous canvases?Read the answer
In 1970s, which gave 52 of the 99 works on this page, Composition among them.
Which famous Yi Eungro canvas came first, and which came last?Read the answer
The earliest canvas here is Landscape (1950); the latest is People (1989).
Which subjects did Yi Eungro paint most?Read the answer
Korean art (8), Landscape (5) and Geometric forms (5), across the 99 works on this page.
Which medium appears most in Yi Eungro's paintings?Read the answer
Acrylic On Canvas, used in 3 of the 99 works on this page.
Which movement is Yi Eungro associated with?Read the answer
Abstract expressionism, as the canvases on this page show.
Which paintings by Yi Eungro are held by the Lee Ungno Museum?Read the answer
The Lee Ungno Museum, Daegu holds 99 of the works on this page, among them Untitled, Composition and Composition.
Meet the painter: Yi Eungro
**early life and training**
lee ungno, also known as yi eungro, was a korean-born french painter and printmaker born in séoul, south korea in 1904. his early life was marked by a brief stint at the hongseong botong hakyo (홍성보통학교, 홍城초등학교, 洪城普通學校), after which he dedicated himself to studying painting under yeomjae song tae-hoe from 1920.**artistic career in korea and japan**
lee ungno's artistic career began in earnest when he moved to seoul in 1922, becoming an apprentice to celebrated calligrapher-painter-photographer haegang kim gyu-jin. he primarily learned to paint the four gentlemen in the 'haegang style.' notably, his inkwash painting of a bamboo, mukjuk (묵죽, 墨竹, ink bamboo), won a prize in the 3rd annual joseon art exhibition. lee ungno consecutively won prizes in the joseon art exhibition throughout the colonial period. however, he believed that eastern ink painters should modernize their style. in the early 1930s, lee began producing inkwash landscapes influenced by new, modern eastern ink painting styles and naturalistic renditions found in western-style paintings.**international recognition and later life**
after training in traditional inkwash painting in korea from the 1920s to the 1930s, lee gradually experimented with western-style painting techniques in japan. his works from the 1950s showcase creative attempts at merging eastern medium and brushstrokes with western perspective and forms. lee ungno relocated to france in 1958, where he fully established his standing as an abstract artist. he is most known for his series of ink and paper collage, abstract letters, and crowd paintings that developed during his stay in france.- view yi eungro's artworks on TopImpressionists: [https://TopImpressionists.com/@/yi-eungro](https://TopImpressionists.com/@/yi-eungro)
- explore the musée national jean-jacques henner, a museum featuring a vast collection of art pieces, including those inspired by eastern styles: [https://TopImpressionists.com/@@/a@d3cew9-il-museo-musee-national-jean-jacques-henner-di-parigi-francia](https://TopImpressionists.com/@@/a@d3cew9-il-museo-musee-national-jean-jacques-henner-di-parigi-francia)
- discover more about the ilkhanid art movement, which also blends eastern and western influences: /en/art/show/art-d3cq2m-en/