'A Private Audience with a Beauty' — Shin Yun-bok's 'Portrait of a Beauty' Now on Permanent Display at Daegu Gansong Museum
Creatrip Team
20 days ago
The Daegu Gansong Museum has opened a permanent gallery for Portrait of a Beauty (미인도), the famous work by late Joseon painter Shin Yun-bok, two years after it was shown in a special exhibition. The new space holds about 20 visitors at once—larger than the temporary showing—and features a quiet, dimly lit room that encourages close, contemplative viewing of details such as the hanbok (traditional Korean dress) folds, collars and sleeves. Visitors have praised the calm atmosphere that allows them to study the painting up close; even school groups crowd around to admire it. The gallery was designed by Studio WGNB, known for international design awards, and the museum plans to promote Portrait of a Beauty as a cultural icon for Daegu, likening its role to the Mona Lisa in Paris. Curators say the installation was arranged to invite modern reflection on concepts of beauty.
