Hyunmee Lee was born in Seoul Korea, where she grew up practicing Western Modern art with experience in Eastern painting and calligraphy. Her art practice crosses three continents over two decades.
1985 Lee graduated Hong-Ik University majoring in painting. At the end of that year, she moved to Australia. She stayed there for six years and achieved two post graduate degrees.
1989 She exhibited in her first commercial gallery, Bonython-Meodemore Gallery, Sydney. At the same time, her work was exposed through a contemporary art book (Art Four).
1991 Hyunmee Lee earned a Master of Arts in Visual Arts (MFA) at the Sydney College of Arts, University of Sydney and returned to Korea. She lived in Korea for seven years. There she taught in Hong-Ik University as a lecturer and exhibited in solo shows in major art galleries and art fairs in Seoul.
1997 Lee came to Utah, U.S.A. where she continuously taught in universities and built up her art career.
2001 She became a faculty member of Utah Valley University.
2002 Lee had her first solo show in America, called Mountain Armatures, at the Woodbury Art Museum in Orem, Utah.
2006 She showed her large scale work in the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Intimacy Without Restraint.
2009 After achieving tenure in 2008, she retired from teaching and more fully concentrated on her art. She is currently working with U.S.A galleries.
2012 Lee travels extensively through Asia to India, Thailand, and Korea to gather inspiration. Afterwards, she published book “Native Mumbling” printed in Misulsege, Korea.
2015 Lee receives the Fellowship for Visual Arts Excellence from the Utah Division of Arts and Museums. Her experimental work in ceramics was shown to the public for the first time.