Painter Park Seo-bo, highly regarded for advancing global recognition of a Korean abstract artform known as monochrome paintings, passed away Saturday at the age of 92 due to lung cancer.

Born in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province in 1931, Park graduated from Hongik University and then ran an art studio, kicking off his career.

He taught at his alma mater first as an instructor from 1962 and then as a full time professor until he retired in 1997. In the 1970s, he served as board chair and vice board chair at the Korean Fine Arts Association while taking active part in the contemporary art movement.

Despite health issues, he went on to achieve fame overseas as a lead artist in Korean monochrome painting, better known as Dansaekhwa in Korean, which made a splash on the international art scene in 2014.

Park, who held a retrospective exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in 2019, won numerous awards and set up a foundation to foster future talent.

In a Facebook post in February, Park revealed he was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer. His funeral parlor will be set up at Seoul National University Hospital.