S.Korean artist Chun Kyung-Ja dies at 91 in NY: daughter

One of South Korea's top artists, painter Chun Kyung-Ja is said to have passed away in New York two months ago.

The artist's eldest daughter Lee Hae-Sun has confirmed that her mother died on August 6 at the age of 91.

Lee visited the Seoul Museum of Art last summer with Chun's cinerary urn but strongly insisted that her visit be kept secret, according to the museum's director Kim Hong-Hee.

Known as the artist of flowers and women, Chun reportedly suffered from a stroke in 2003 that left her immobile, prompting her to stay with Lee in Manhattan.

In 1998, Chun donated 93 pieces of her artwork to the Seoul Museum of Art and left for New York cutting all communication with the general public. She had not returned to her homeland since.