The artist’s Korean name is KIM Pohyun. He was born in Changnyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, in 1917 and spent his childhood in Daegu. Kim Changdeok (1910-1983), who was one of the first generation Korean artists who lived in Japan, was his older brother. KIM studied at Meiji University School of Law and Pacific Arts School. In Japan, KIM met his first wife, who was originally from Gwangju. After Korea’s liberation, he settled in his wife’s hometown, Gwangju, and taught as a professor at Chosun University from 1946 to 1955. He led the founding of Chosun University’s Art Department and served as the dean. While active in Gwangju’s art scene, he was especially close to Chun Kyungja and was introduced to Kim Whanki and Nam Kwan from Seoul. In 1955, KIM was invited as a research fellow at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and moved to the U.S. He made connections with the artists who gathered in Coenties Slip, including Agnes Martin. KIM’s experience of helping Martin to select the works for the Whitney Museum of American Art’s group exhibition served as a momentum for him to direct Martin’s solo exhibition at Charles Egan Gallery in New York. From 1965, KIM stayed in Paris for a year and interacted with Nam Kwan who was studying there at the time. In 1968, he returned to New York and met his second wife Sylvia Wald. Following her advice, he started to use the name ‘Po KIM’ as it was easier for the local people to pronounce. From then on, he held solo exhibitions across the U.S. such as in New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Ohio, Philadelphia, and in Germany such as Munich, and Baden-Baden. He also participated in numerous group exhibitions.