Johsel Namkung
Johsel Namkung | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1919 |
| Died | July 22, 2013 (aged 93–94) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 남궁요설 |
| Hanja | 南宮堯卨 [1] |
| RR | Namgung Yoseol |
| MR | Namgung Yosŏl |
Johsel Namkung (Korean: 남궁요설; 1919 – July 22, 2013) was an American photographer of Korean origin. He was best known for his nature and landscape photography.[2][3][4]
He was born in 1919 in Gwangju, Korea, Empire of Japan.[2] Namkung studied at The Tokyo Conservatory in Japan for voice.[2] Namkung and his wife, Mineko, immigrated to the United States in 1947 after they both received scholarships to attend the University of Washington School of Music.[2][5] Namkung earned a Masters in Music from University of Washington.[2] He worked for Northwest Airlines but then left in 1956 to study printmaking and photography.[2][4] In 1958 he attended one of Ansel Adams' week-long workshops.[2] Namkung was also friends with many other Seattle artists including Mark Tobey, George Tsutakawa, Kenneth Callahan.[2]
Namkung worked at the University of Washington Medical Center as a medical photographer for 25 years but would continue his nature photography outside of work.[2][4] Namkung's 1966 and 1973 solo exhibitions of his nature photography are held by the University of Washington's Henry Art Gallery.[2] Namkung's photographs are in the collection of Seattle Art Museum.[6] In 1978, the Seattle Art Museum hosted a solo Namkung show.[2] From September 1994 through January 1995, Namkung's photographs were on display alongside the work of other artists like Val Leigo, Paul Horiuchi, George Tsutakawa, at the Wing Luke Museum in the show, "They Painted From Their Hearts: Pioneer Asian American Artists."[7] In 2006, the Seattle Asian Art Museum hosted another solo Namkung show.[2]
Namkung died on July 22, 2013.[2][3]
In 2025, the Cascadia Art Museum held a retrospective of Namkung's work in a show titled, Silent Songs: The Photography of Johsel Namkung.[8]
References
- ↑ "눈산 조망대". The Korea Times (in Korean). 2013-08-10.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Johsel Namkung - UW-affiliated Artists". www.cs.washington.edu/. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- 1 2 "Remembering Photographer Johsel Namkung (1919-2013)". Seattle Met. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- 1 2 3 "Oral history interview with Johsel and Mineko Namkung, 1989 Oct. 5-1991 Feb. 25 | Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution". www.aaa.si.edu. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- ↑ Admin (2025-02-10). "Seattle's Johsel Namkung and photography's "Silent Songs"". Northwest Asian Weekly. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- ↑ "Works – Johsel Namkung – People – eMuseum". art.seattleartmuseum.org. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- ↑ "Generations Of Talent -- Two Exhibits Document, Celebrate And Place In Context The Contributions Of Asian Immigrants To Our Cultural Treasure Chest | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- ↑ "Johsel Namkung's striking landscapes on view at the Cascadia Art Museum | Cascadia Art Museum". www.cascadiaartmuseum.org. Retrieved 2026-07-29.