Nam June Paik is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Born in Seoul in 1932, he at first focussed his studies on music, which is why his way led him to a Cologne studio for electronic music, a cradle of contemporary electronic composition. From that point it was not far to "Fluxus", a particularly unconventional form of action art that experimented with a combination of visual arts, theater and music. His first video art, which today is regarded a milestone in art history, originated in this extremely fruitful environment. In the following Nam June Paik became one of the most innovative protagonists of video art.
Nam June Paik, who had a professorship for video art at the Düsseldorf Art Academy since the late 1970s, has been honored with numerous awards, such as the Kurt-Schwitters-Prize and the Goslar Kaiserring. The exhibitions which comprised works by Nam June Paik are uncountable, a clear proof of the artist's extraordinary international rank.