The Facade Commission: Lee Bul

For the 2024 Facade Commission, South Korean artist Lee Bul (born 1964, Yeongju, based in Seoul) will create four new sculptures that combine figurative and abstract elements for The Met Fifth Avenue’s facade niches. The commission will be Lee’s first major project in the United States in over 20 years. The Facade Commission: Lee Bul will be the fifth in the series of contemporary commissions for The Met’s facade.

With a career that spans four decades, Lee is widely recognized as the preeminent artist from South Korea. She is known for her sophisticated use of both highly industrial and labor-intensive materials, such as fabric, metal, plastic, silicone, porcelain, and glass, incorporating artisanal practices as well as technological advancements into her work. Her sculptures, often evoking bodily forms that are at once classical and futuristic, address the aspirations and disillusions that come with progress.