The purpose of this study was to provide eight males who were HIV carriers and AIDS patients with
group art therapy using paintings that were masterpieces to allow them to identify the existential meanings
of their life. For this purpose, eight male HIV/AIDS patients, who were members of the 00 AIDS
Prevention Association attended 12sessions of group art therapy. The contents of the therapy were recorded
and transcribed in each session to collect data; then, the transcription, the participants' art works, and
the researcher's notes were analyzed. The date collected were analyzed qualitatively. The data were
openly coded to indentify meaningful statements, which were then classified into subordinate and
superordinate categories on the basis of content correlation. As a result, 158 meaningful contents were
drawn and classified into 28 subordinate categories and seven superordinate ones. The superordinate
categories were prejudices, beings discouraging me, existential awareness of a being, beings encouraging me,
existential experience through art, support system, and creation of new meanings of life. Although the participants
had difficult and painful life experiences in the face of death due to HIV infection, group art therapy using
masterpieces of painting has allowed them to project themselves into contemporary artists' lives, undertake
art activities, see their feeling about existence changed, and create new meanings and values of life.