An Huijun, Professor Emeritus of Seoul National University Who Laid the Foundation for Korean Painting History, Passes Away

First Generation of Korean Art Historians... Passed Away at 86
Served 24 Years on the Cultural Heritage Committee and as First Chairman of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation

An Huijun, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Archaeology and Art History at Seoul National University, who established Korean painting history as an independent academic field and laid the foundation for art history studies in Korea, passed away on July 20. He was 86 years old.

The late An Huijun, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

After graduating from the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at Seoul National University, Professor An earned his master's and doctoral degrees in art history from Harvard University and also studied at Princeton University in the United States. He taught at the College of Fine Arts at Hongik University before teaching students for over 30 years at the Department of Archaeology and Art History at Seoul National University. After retirement, he also served as a distinguished professor in the Department of Art History at Myongji University. Professor An held various leadership positions, including Director of the museums at Hongik University and Seoul National University, President of the Korean Art History Association, President of the Korean University Museum Association, and a member of the National Institute of Korean History's compilation committee.

Professor An systematically organized Korean traditional paintings, which had been a relatively unexplored field, according to eras, artists, and stylistic trends. His 1980 publication, "History of Korean Painting," is regarded as a foundational text that chronologically organizes the history of Korean painting, from prehistoric rock carvings and Goguryeo tomb murals to paintings from the Joseon Dynasty. He was especially recognized as an authority on early Joseon painter An Gyeon and on research about "Dream Journey to the Peach Blossom Land" ("Mongyu Dowondo"), held at Tenri University in Japan. He devoted his efforts to demonstrating, through artwork, that Korean art developed a unique aesthetic and achieved independent accomplishments, moving away from the previous focus solely on Chinese artistic influences.

Beyond his research, Professor An contributed to the preservation of cultural heritage and cultural administration in the field. Appointed as a Cultural Heritage Committee member in 1985, he served consecutively for 24 years. Among these, he spent eight years as Chair of the Movable Cultural Properties Sub-committee and served as Chair of the Cultural Heritage Committee from 2005 to 2009 for four years. He was also an advisory committee member and chairman for the establishment and operations of the National Museum of Korea, as well as a board member of the Samsung Foundation of Art and Culture.

In 2012, he was appointed as the first chairman of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, where he established systems for researching, recovering, preserving, and utilizing Korean cultural heritage scattered overseas until 2016. He also published "Korean Cultural Properties Abroad," which reviews the current status and challenges of Korean heritage overseas, based on the foundation's work.

Professor An authored many books, including "The Tradition of Korean Painting," "Studies in the History of Korean Painting," "Korean Art and Culture," "Blue Out of Indigo in Korean Art," "The Tradition of Korean Painting," and "My Research in Korean Art History." He was awarded the Order of Service Merit (Okjo Geunjeong Medal) in 2006, as well as the Sejong Culture Award (Academic Division), the Yongjae Academic Award from Yonsei University, and the Korean Academy of Science and Technology Award (Humanities Division). Last year, he received the "Proud Museum Person Award" from the Korean Museum Association.

In his memoir, "My Research in Korean Art History," Professor An summarized the scholarly attitude he aspired to, such as broad knowledge, high discernment, impartiality and fairness, and a commitment to repay the nation through scholarship, which he called "Ihakboguk." As a pioneering researcher in Korean painting history and a scholar dedicated to cultural heritage administration, he adhered to these principles throughout his life.

He is survived by his wife, Kim Yoojung, his son Wooyoung, and his daughter Jihyun. The funeral is at Room 7 of the Seoul National University Hospital Funeral Hall in Jongno District, Seoul, and the funeral ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. on July 22. (02)2072-2010.

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