Established in 1970, Gallery Hyundai has been a cornerstone of the Korean art world for over five decades. The gallery has not only been a platform for showcasing the works of numerous artists but has also played a significant role in the development and evolution of modern and contemporary Korean art.

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Gallery Hyundai organized a special exhibition titled "HYUNDAI 50". This exhibition was an opportunity to reflect on the gallery's impressive past and the Korean art world at large, while also envisioning the next fifty years. The exhibition was divided into two parts, each focusing on different eras and themes, and ran for three months.

The first part of the exhibition showcased approximately seventy works by forty-one masters of modern and contemporary Korean art. Most of these exemplary pieces were first introduced to the world through one of the countless exhibitions and solo shows held at Gallery Hyundai between 1970 and the early 1990s. The collection of these masterpieces celebrated historical moments in the oeuvre of each artist.

The main exhibition building displayed the works of artists who inherited the traditions of Korean figurative art and used them to create a visual language entirely their own. Artists who explored the Western style of painting include To Sang Bong, Oh Chi Ho, Chang Ucchin, Moon Hakjin, Kwon Okyon, and Yoon Joongsik. Eastern style painters such as Chun Kyungja, Kim Kichang, Byeon Gwansik, and Lee Sang-Beom were also showcased.

The exhibition also made public an impressive number of archival materials invaluable to those seeking a deeper understanding of the development of modern and contemporary Korean art. Candid photographs of key figures, images from past exhibitions, guest books from historic retrospectives, exhibition pamphlets, opening invitations, and letters between the gallery and artists were on display throughout the show.

The new exhibition building presented various masters of Korean abstract art as well as the work by the pioneering artist Nam June Paik. Even in an age dominated by figurative art, Gallery Hyundai supported abstract artists and regularly provided a platform for exhibiting their work. This exhibition included pieces by pioneers of abstract art such as Kim Whanki, Rhee Seundja, Nam Kwan, Yoo Youngkuk, Han Mook, Lee Ungro, Moon Shin, and the paintings and sculptures by masters of monochrome art including Lee Ufan, Park Seobo, Chung Sang-Hwa, Yun Hyong-Keun, Quac Insik, Kwon Youngwoo, and Kim Tschang-Yeul.

For 50 years, Gallery Hyundai has been an active force at the center of the Korean art world, opening some 400 solo shows of artists both foreign and domestic and another 400 group exhibitions. The remarkable works of the greats who worked with the gallery throughout this period, together with the carefully curated selection of archival materials on display, promise to render HYUNDAI 50 a singular occasion for celebrating the cultural and historical role Gallery Hyundai has long played in expanding the foundations of Korean art.