The creativity and beauty of Korean art has been embraced by renowned museums in major cities across the United States.
At least five major museums, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, are hosting special exhibitions highlighting Korean art, the New York Times reported on October 20.
The museums will highlight 12th-century stone art from the Goryeo Dynasty, Joseon Dynasty Buncheong Ceramics, as well as experimental works in contemporary Korean art. Some of the exhibitions started in September, while others will run until October 2024.
The Guggenheim Museum in New York City kicked off its “Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s-1970s” exhibition in September. It will showcase a variety of works from Korean contemporary art until January of 2024, and will also feature leading artists such as Sung Neung Kyung and Kim Kulim. The exhibition was organized in collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Korea.
It also hosted a special exhibition of Lee Kun-Yong (81), one of the pioneers of Korean experimental art in the 1970s, who presented his signature performance art piece, Snail’s Gallop. On the day of the event, more than 100 people filled the fifth-floor exhibition room to watch the artist’s performance art.
From October 21 to February 11, the Philadelphia Museum of Art will host “The Shape of Time: Korean Art After 1989.” The special exhibition was organized by Hyunsoo Woo, Pappas-Sarbanes Deputy Director for Collections and Exhibitions, who has been a curator in the United States since 1996.
Woo said that the American art world is interested in Korean art. “With the Academy Awards for the movies ‘Parasite’ and ‘Minari’ and the popularity of BTS and BLACKPINK, interest in Korean culture has grown tremendously. Although the opening has been delayed due to COVID-19, the exhibition comes at a very good time.”
The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Korea special exhibition will showcase contemporary art developed in Korea since 1989 by 28 artists. The New York Times particularly noted Meekyoung Shin’s, “Eastern Deities Descended(2023)”, a sculpture made from soap.
In addition, the San Diego Museum of Art is holding a special exhibition, “Korea in Color: A Legacy of Auspicious Images,” from October 28 to March 3, 2024. It will showcase artworks from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) and contemporary artists’ reinterpretations of classical art, according to the museum.
From November 7 to October 20, 2024, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will also host “Lineages: Korean Art at the Met.” The museum said it is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Korean Exhibition gallery and will showcase its collection.
Also, on December 3, the Denver Art Museum will present “Perfectly Imperfect: Korean Buncheong Ceramics.” The National Museum of Korea is sending elephant-shaped jars, fish-patterned bottles, and a cup with handles from the Joseon Dynasty to the United States.
The New York Times, in particular, saw the Korean special exhibit at a major museum as a demonstration of “brilliant women.” “Many of the organizers of the shows are Korean-born or Korean American curators — all of them women — who have been gearing up for this moment for a long time,” said New York Times.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM, JUNHAN PARK [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
