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Former home, studio of painter Kim Tschang-yeul to open as cultural space

Published: 31 Mar. 2026, 17:38 Updated: 31 Mar. 2026, 18:30

A former home and studio of Kim Tschang-yeul [HAN EUN-HWA]

The former home and studio of Kim Tschang-yeul (1929-2021), the Korean painter known for his signature water drop works, will open as a public cultural space in central Seoul in May.

The Jongno District government purchased and renovated the property into “The House of Kim Tschang-yeul” (translated) and held a renovation completion ceremony on Tuesday.

The house, located in Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno District, central Seoul, served as both Kim's residence and workplace from 1988 until his death. The 512-square-meter (5,511-square-foot) site will open to the public in late May after preparations.

Kim built the house in 1988 and lived there for 33 years. Three generations of his family lived together after his grandchildren were born.

The structure reflects his artistic philosophy. The house has two basement levels and two aboveground floors, with the studio located in the deepest part on the second basement level. The studio has a ceiling higher than 3 meters (9.8 feet) and no windows.

A small skylight in a room next to the studio provides the only natural light. Sunlight falls onto the desk where Kim read and copied classical Chinese texts such as the "Thousand Character Classic," a basic text used to teach Chinese characters, and the "Tao Te Ching," a key work of Taoist philosophy.

Kim's desk still holds teaware, painting tools and a worn copy of the “Tao Te Ching” that he used during his lifetime.

A former home and studio of Kim Tschang-yeul [HAN EUN-HWA]

The renovation focused on preserving and restoring the artist’s private space.

The renovation team recorded the entire house in 3-D before construction and rearranged it to match the original layout. Platform Architecture, which designed the Kim Tschang-yeul Art Museum in Jeju, led the project.

“When I first visited the house while working on the Jeju museum project, what stood out was how you have to go deep down from the entrance to reach the studio,” said Choi Soo-yeon, co-CEO of Platform Architecture. “He spent the whole day working in a space cut off from the outside, almost like a seeker in deep concentration. The space seemed to reflect who he was and how he worked.”

Kim himself once described his working style, saying he did not usually let light into his atelier and instead relied on “inner light in a cave-like space.”

In that “cave,” he painted luminous water drops alongside Chinese characters rooted in Eastern philosophy. He spent most of his time working, resting only on a small bed in a room next to the studio and eating at a table by a first-floor window overlooking Hyeongje Peak in Mount Bukhan.

“I hope visitors can trace Kim’s presence and find quiet artistic inspiration in the house,” Choi said.

A former home and studio of Kim Tschang-yeul [HAN EUN-HWA]

Jongno District plans to display 2,609 works by Kim and archival materials, including 390 pieces donated by the artist’s family.

The district will also launch a “Jongno Art Bus” route in May. The route will depart from exit 1 of Gwanghwamun Station on Seoul subway line No. 5 and connect the Park No-soo Museum, Yun Dong-ju Literature Museum, Seokpajeong Seoul Museum of Art, Art Archives Seoul Museum of Art, Gana Art Center and the House of Kim Tschang-yeul.

“We will work to make the House of Kim Tschang-yeul a symbolic destination for art lovers from Korea and abroad,” Jongno District Mayor Jeong Moon-heon said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN EUN-HWA [[email protected]]