From Inwangjesaekdo to Nam June Paik... Lee Kun-hee’s Donations Head to the British Museum

[Financial News] An exhibition encompassing 2,000 years of Korean art, ranging from the National Treasure 'Inwangjesaekdo' to Nam June Paik's video sculpture 'Brahms,' is being held in London, UK. It marks the final stage of an international touring exhibition organized around items donated by the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee.
According to the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), on the 21st, the two institutions will hold the special exhibition 'Korea: A Journey of Creativity in 2,000 Years' at the British Museum in London from October 1 to January 31 of next year. It is an event co-hosted with the British Museum.■ 100 Items, Including National Treasures and Treasures, UnveiledThis exhibition is based on 'A Collector's Invitation' (2022), which was jointly planned by the two institutions to commemorate the state donation by Chairman Lee's family in 2021. It is the third and final touring exhibition, following the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., last November and the Art Institute of Chicago this March.
The exhibition features a total of 100 items, including 164 pieces from 79 items from the National Museum of Korea, 15 items from the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), and 6 items from the British Museum. It includes 27 pieces from 10 National Treasures and 23 pieces from 13 Treasures. The National Treasure 'Bronze Artifacts from Bisan-dong, Daegu' is also being newly unveiled in this exhibition.
In its official exhibition guide, the British Museum outlined the timeframe of the exhibition as spanning from around 300 BC to the present. Most of the exhibits were selected from among the approximately 23,000 items donated to the state by the family in 2021.■ From Ancient Artifacts to Joseon PaintingsA 'time tunnel' traversing Korean history will be created in an exhibition hall facing the Great Court, the central courtyard of the British Museum. Visitors will walk along major artifacts from each era and enter exhibition spaces of each period to view the artworks.
Part 1, 'Wealth and Power,' covers archaeological artifacts from the Early Iron Age to the Unified Silla period and Buddhist art from the Three Kingdoms period. With an enhanced focus on archaeological artifacts compared to the U.S. tour, it introduces items such as 'wing-shaped coffin ornaments,' 'gilt-bronze shoes,' and 'earthenware decorated with clay figurines.'
Part 2, 'Wisdom and Beauty,' showcases Goryeo Buddhist paintings, sutra copying, celadon, and metalwork. Part 3, 'Learning and Joy,' sheds light on the scholarship and lives of Joseon Confucian scholars and presents works such as Jeong Seon's 'Inwangjesaekdo' and Kim Hong-do's 'Chuseongbudo (Sounds of Autumn).'
■ 'Irworobongdo' and Nam June Paik's Works Also on Display'Irworobongdo' and 'Magpie Tiger,' which connect to traditional painting motifs in the animation 'KPop Demon Hunters,' will also be exhibited. 'Irworobongdo' adorns the exhibition poster, while 'Magpie Tiger' is a work that was not included in the U.S. tour.
The final fourth section, 'Individuality and Society,' explores the changes in individuals and communities from the Korean Empire period to the present day through modern and contemporary Korean art. The exhibition features Baek Namsun's eight-panel folding-screen-style oil painting 'Paradise,' works by Park Su-geun and Chang Ucchin, Shin Hak-chul's 'Modern Korean History - Synthesis,' and Nam June Paik's 'Brahms.'
'Paradise,' an oil painting on a folding screen, and 'Brahms,' which translates classical music into a video sculpture, share a commonality in that they combine different cultures and media. Examining these two works together reveals the flow of Korean art, which has embraced external art to create new forms.
Among the British Museum's collection, the Goryeo mother-of-pearl inlay work 'Mother-of-Pearl Sutra Box with Chrysanthemum and Arabesque Patterns' and Yi Myeong-gi's 'Portrait of Chae Je-gong' will also be unveiled, along with contemporary artworks by Ik-Joong Kang, Lee Soo-kyung, and Do Ho Suh.
Yu Hong-jun, Director of the National Museum of Korea, said, 'In the UK, we will present a new story of Korea with a solid composition that includes more National Treasures and Treasures.'
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