Born in 1920 he studied in Japan at Kawabata School of Fine Arts and was part of the Avante-garde movement in Tokyo in the 1930s. He participated in the Association of Free Artists by showing in the Seventh Exhibition in 1943. After Korea’s liberation from Japan in 1945, he returned to Gwangju to paint, avoiding the politicism of the Seoul art scene that was emerging. Korea’s art scene did not recognize his painting genius until the 1970s. In 1978 he and his wife moved to Seoul after Bae finally received recognition by being included in the National Museum in Seoul.