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National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art to Regularize 'International Masters' Exhibitions; Hirst and Do Ho Suh Featured in 2026
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
South Korea’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) announced its 2026 exhibition and major programs, making an annual "International Masters" series to showcase globally influential contemporary artists. In March, the Seoul branch will host Damien Hirst’s first large-scale Asia solo show, spanning his early to recent works, including famed pieces from the Natural History series and new, unseen works. In August, MMCA will present a major retrospective of Korean installation artist Do Ho Suh, showing early graduation works, signature projects such as the "Bridge Project" (bridge project), drawings and recent commissions. The museum will also reappraise first-generation Korean artists with dedicated shows: Lee Dae-won (at Deoksugung), sculptor Park Seok-won (in Gwacheon), and painter Bang Hye-ja (Cheongju), the latter linked to the 140th anniversary of Korea–France relations. Other highlights include a Georgia O’Keeffe and American moderns survey, a Korea–France “Parisian Exiles” show, a conceptual-art exhibition, and a Korea–Japan road-movie themed exchange. MMCA plans regional touring exhibitions of key collections (e.g., Lee Jung-seop and Picasso ceramics), commissions of new public contemporary works, a nine-month conservation training program for young professionals, and progressive online release of its archives (starting with about 100,000 items). Director Kim Seong-hee said the goal is to bring major global modern-art experiences to domestic audiences and raise Korea’s standing in the international art world.
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