Moon Shin was an artist,
called the “Picasso of Korea.”

Born in 1923,

Moon Shin smuggled himself to Japan
at the age of 16.

To earn money to study art, he held various jobs,
working an assistant at an OB/GYN clinic, a worker at a dye factory,
a shoeshine boy, a carpenter, a supporting actor in films, a postman and more...

Then, he began studying at an art school
and thus embarked on a journey to becoming an artist.

In 1961, he went to France
and gained recognition as a master of abstract sculpture.

Almost 20 years later in 1980, he returned to his homeland.

He carved away on a hill, with his two bare hands,
to create a pond and a water cascade,
and stacked large rocks to build a wall.

This masterpiece, which took 15 years to complete,
was the last artwork ever to be created by Moon Shin.

Moonshin Museum of Art,
Korea’s first private art gallery,
is nestled on a hill in Chusan-dong, Changwon.

Soon after its opening in 1995,
Moon Shin drew his last breath at the age of 72.

“I work like a slave,
live like a commoner, and create like god.”
- From Moon Shin’s work notes