Now In Korea
‘Lee Kun-hee Collection’ Opens First Overseas Show in Washington After Shutdown Delay
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
The Lee Kun-hee collection, gifted by the family of the late Samsung chairman in 2021, opens its first international tour exhibition, “Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared,” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C. The show, delayed one week by a U.S. federal government shutdown, runs from Oct. 15 through Feb. 1 and features 330 works (172 items, 297 pieces from the National Museum and 24 modern pieces from the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art). Highlights include Joseon-era master Jeong Seon’s Inwangjesaekdo, national treasures and important cultural properties, Buddhist sculptures and sutra manuscripts, Goryeo celadon and Joseon white porcelain, and modern icons by Park Su-geun, Kim Whanki and others. The exhibition traces Korean collecting culture starting with a chaekkado (book-shelf still life) folding screen, contrasts restrained neo-Confucian scholar-room objects with royal splendors, and presents painting, ceramics and Buddhist art across centuries to show the creativity and innovation behind K-culture. The touring show will move to the Art Institute of Chicago (Mar–Jul next year) and the British Museum in London (Sep–Jan 2027), with some re-curation for local audiences. The museum will also host a symposium on Korean art and collecting in January, and Korean museum boutique items will be sold at the U.S. venue for the first time overseas.
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