Won Lee (1946 - 2021) was a Canadian sculptor born in Korea whose work primarily focuses on the figure. Lee drew and modeled the figure in clay, often refining the shapes into abstract forms before firing them in his Toronto studio kiln. When he wasn’t working in his studio, he traveled to China or Mexico to do some of the castings of his figures in bronze. 

He was a highly prolific and energetic artist, even though he was afflicted with polio while growing up in Korea. The effects of this disease have never stood in the way of his highly charged production and passion for his work. When constructing a two-meter-high clay model, he worked without hesitation, without a break, and often without assistance. Like the early Abstract Expressionist sculptor Reuben Nakian, Lee belongs to a heroic tradition in sculpture. Less a classical formalist than Nakian, Lee kept an intense eye on each maneuver as he modeled the clay, working in direct response to his models. Each detail is attenuated, the treatment comparable in some ways to the late existentialist work of Giacometti. 

Lee’s figures are focused on a holistic pattern involving texture and exaggerated mannerisms of scale and proportion. He inscribes the ambient parts with a subtle yet assured tactile resonance and, in doing so, accentuates a faceting of the surface that enhances the feel of the material. Although Lee began as a figurative painter, his move into sculpture within the past two decades, after an interruption in his work of several years, offers a forceful interplay with the medium’s plasticity. 

Lee received his B.F.A. at Pepperdine University and his M.F.A. at Johnson State College. He also attended the Otis Art Institute. Won’s sculptures have been featured in numerous magazines, including Sculpture Magazine. He lectured on postmodern art theories and practices around the world. Internationally acclaimed Lee has a vital body of work and continues to impact wherever his work is exhibited.