변동림 卞東琳
Essayist, art critic and painter who wrote as Kim Hyang-an; wife of the poet Yi Sang and later of the painter Kim Whanki
| Life | 1916 ~ 2004 |
| Era | 일제강점기·대한민국 |
| Clan | 초계 변씨 |
Life & career
Byeon Dong-rim (卞東琳, 1916-2004) was an essayist, art critic and painter of the Republic of Korea, of the Chogye Byeon, born in Gyeongseong (Seoul). She wrote chiefly under the pen name Kim Hyang-an (金鄕岸). She died at her home in New York on 29 February 2004 at the age of 89.
She graduated from Gyeongseong Girls' Higher Common School and attended the English literature department of Ewha Women's College but left without graduating. She married the poet and novelist Yi Sang, but his sudden death ended the marriage after four months, according to Korean Wikipedia. In 1944 she remarried the painter Kim Whanki.
She studied art history and art criticism at the Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre in Paris and wrote essays mostly on Paris. In 1964 she made her debut in the art world as a painter. Her husband Kim Whanki stayed in the United States with her from 1964, worked there and died in 1974; the Whanki Museum honoring him was founded by the Whanki Foundation in Buam-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, in 1992.
The Pen Name Kim Hyang-an
Byeon Dong-rim wrote essays under the pen name Kim Hyang-an. Her writings are known mostly for their Paris subjects, and her study of art history and criticism underlay her work. The Doosan Encyclopedia also introduces her as an essayist and art critic.
Yi Sang and Kim Whanki
Her marriage to the poet Yi Sang ended after four months with his death, and in 1944 she married the painter Kim Whanki. Kim went to France in 1956, returned in 1959 and from 1964 stayed in the United States, and it was Kim Hyang-an who stayed by his side.
The Whanki Museum
The Whanki Museum was set up in Buam-dong, Seoul, in 1992 by the Whanki Foundation to organize and present Kim Whanki's art after his death. What role Byeon Dong-rim played in founding it was not confirmed in the sources used here.
Grave
Her burial place was not confirmed in the sources used here.