Lee Bul, a leading Korean artist, has become the first Korean artist to be represented exclusively by the renowned global gallery Hauser & Wirth.
With this new agreement, Lee Bul will conclude her long-standing exclusive representation with Thaddaeus Ropac and Lehmann Maupin while maintaining a joint representation with BB&M, with whom she has been working since 2022.

By signing an exclusive contract with Hauser & Wirth—which operates 18 locations worldwide, including New York, London, Paris, and Hong Kong, with its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland—Lee Bul is expected to expand her global presence further.

At Art Basel Hong Kong, Asia’s largest art fair, held on the March 28, Hauser & Wirth marked the beginning of its collaboration with Lee Bul by presenting her sculpture Untitled (Anagram Leather #11 T.O.T.) (2003/2018) and her new diptych painting Perdu CCIX (2025). Next year, the gallery will host a solo exhibition of Lee Bul at its New York location.
 
Renowned for her provocative works that transcend disciplines and genres, Lee Bul has, over the past 40 years, evolved into a pioneering figure who continues to inspire young artists worldwide, far beyond Korea. 
 
Since the 2000s, she has moved beyond her early iconoclastic performances to engage in an ongoing exploration of utopian modernity, the historical avant-garde in art and architecture, and humanity’s aspirations embedded in progressive attempts to reinvent the world. Through this, she continuously expands her artistic practice, blurring the boundaries of artistic concepts through multisensory installations, sculptures, and paintings.

Marc Payot, President at Hauser & Wirth, described Lee Bul as follows: “Lee is recognized as the foremost Korean artist of her generation. Combining conceptual rigor and a nuanced approach to materiality with a deep and profound humanism, her work continues to evolve in fascinating new directions.”
 
Lee Bul reaffirmed her global influence last September when she became the first Korean artist to install a sculpture (from the ‘Long Tail Halo’ series) on the façade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The artist’s upcoming projects include a major touring survey co-curated by Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul, and M+, Hong Kong. It opens at Leeum Museum of Art in September 2025, followed by a presentation at M+ in March 2026 before touring to other international venues.

References

• Hauser & Wirth 보도자료 (Hauser & Wirth Press Release)
• BB&M 보도자료 (BB&M Press Release)
• 헤럴드경제, 이불 작가, 하우저앤워스와 손잡았다…한국인 최초 전속 체결, 2025.03.20