Sculpture-devoted Plastic Art Seoul 2021 to kick off Sunday

Plastic Art Seoul 2021, Korea's largest art fair devoted to sculptures and installation works, will kick off on Sunday at Coex in southern Seoul, under the theme “New Generation.” While the art fair features sculptures, it will also present a variety of different artworks including installation art, paintings and media art. A total of 89 galleries from home and abroad will join the show bringing 2,500 artworks by 700 artists together under one roof. “Last year, sales reac

May 14, 2021

Korean art master Suh Se-ok’s collection donated to his second hometown

A majority of the collection by Korean abstract art master, the late Suh Se-ok has been donated to Seongbuk-gu, northern Seoul where the artist lived for 60 years. Suh’s family donated a total of 3,290 artworks, including the artist’s works and those he collected throughout his life. The donation was made without any condition, according to the Seongbuk Museum of Art. The donated works will be stored at the Seongbuk Museum of Art until a museum dedicated to the artist is establi

May 14, 2021

[Weekender] [#WeFace] Green architecture brings fresh air

While going green has become an urgent agenda for many industries from retail, fashion to the performing arts and architecture is no exception. Amid the climate crisis, more individuals, companies and the government are paying attention to sustainable architecture, aware of the impact of the lasting footprint left by construction. “Green architecture” refers to an approach to architecture which acknowledges the necessity for improvement in both environmental impact and our healt

May 13, 2021

Art Busan anticipating big success again this year

Art Busan, a major art fair in South Korea, will be held this weekend amid much anticipation after an unexpected boom last year, when avid art collectors and young people flocked to the southern port city. The largest art fair in the country’s southern region will showcase a total of 4,000 artworks during the four-day event. The 110 galleries participating this year include renowned international galleries such as Neugerriemschneider and Esther Schipper from Berlin, Commonwealth and Coun

May 13, 2021

[Feature] Cities, museums all want a piece of the pie

While a large part of the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s personal art collection has arrived at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea and National Museum of Korea, the collection’s final destination remains up in the air. The major problem is the capacity to hold the record-breaking donation by Lee. The MMCA, which was given 1,488 artworks, most of them Korean modern art, admitted that the museum is running out of space at its storage facilities in

May 12, 2021

Korean art project ‘Traveling Korean Arts’ kicks off in 14 countries

The project “Traveling Korean Arts,” aimed at introducing Korean art to a global audience, has kicked off in collaboration with art institutions in 14 countries. The art project -- organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange -- started Saturday in South Africa with an exhibition titled “Negotiating Boundaries.” The artworks will be on display at the 300,000-square-meter outdoor sculpture park i

May 11, 2021

Monthlong Gwangju Biennale enjoyed online and offline

The 13th Gwangju Biennale closed on Sunday after a 39-day run, attracting more than 270,000 visitors online and offline. Although significantly shortened -- by around half of its usual three-month span -- due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the theme and the commissions were executed as planned. Some 85,000 people visited Korea’s largest art biennale in person, according to the Gwangju Biennale Foundation. The biennale -- which kicked off on Feb. 26 after being postponed twice -- was held u

May 10, 2021

S. Korean cities race to host new 'Lee Kun-hee art museum'

South Korean cities from Suwon to Busan are lining up to host a possible new museum for late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee's vast art collection, with many claiming to be the ideal spot because of their special ties to the Lee family. Samsung and the culture ministry announced April 28 that Lee's family would donate some 23,000 pieces from his art collection, including masterpieces by Korean and Western artists, such as Kim Whan-ki, Claude Monet and Salvador Dali. Lee died in October. The Natio

May 10, 2021

Painter Hwang Jai-hyoung infuses soul into paintings dedicated to workers

Hwang Jai-hyoung, known as the “miner painter,” lived as a coal miner in the early 1980s in search of the human dignity that he wanted to express in his paintings. He believed that an artist should actually experience the life of a worker in order for one’s art to function as a means to influence society. While working as a coal miner for three years across Gangwon Province, including in Taebaek, Samcheok and Jeongseon, Hwang captured the lives of his fellow miners on can

May 9, 2021

MMCA excited by donations from Lee Kun-hee collection

While the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection has been creating a buzz across the art scene and more, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is looking to make the most of the donation. “This is a record-breaking donation, unlikely to happen twice in my lifetime,” Youn Bum-mo, the director of the MMCA, said at a press event held at the museum’s Seoul branch in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul, Friday. “The collection is very broad,

May 7, 2021

MMCA’s Gwacheon venue celebrates Children’s Day with exhibition for kids

Ahead of Children’s Day on May 5, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, kicked off an exhibition for children titled “You & Me” at its Gwacheon venue on Tuesday. The venue, which includes a children’s museum, was recently renovated to be more inviting to families. Over the past few years, MMCA’s Gwacheon venue has undergone changes to enhance its function as a family-friendly museum. The outdoor sculpture garden regularly hosts exhibition

May 4, 2021

Seoul's largest Picasso retrospective shows formative works, paintings

The largest Pablo Picasso retrospective to be exhibited in Korea kicked off Saturday, chronologically showcasing the artist’s works across different genres, including a masterpiece completed in his later years. “Picasso, Into the Myth,” running through Aug. 29 at the Hangaram Arts Center Museum in Seoul, features 110 works by the pioneer of cubism. The exhibition, which coincides with the 140th anniversary of the artist’s birth, includes oil paintings, ceramics, sculpt

May 3, 2021

David Hockney’s video lights up Seoul with message of hope

One of the most celebrated living artists, David Hockney revealed his new 2 1/2-minute video, “Remember you cannot look at the sun or death for very long” on a large LED screen on K-pop Square at Coex in Samseong-dong, Seoul on Saturday. The animated video shows the sun rising slowly over the plains until it bursts into radiance to fill the entire screen. The video represents a symbol of hope as the world awakens from COVID-19 lockdowns. The video was released on iconic screens in

May 2, 2021

From Shakespeare to Ed Sheeran, portraits of British icons on exhibit at national museum

A new exhibition at the National Museum of Korea has brought together 76 portraits of British and global figures, ranging from playwright William Shakespeare to singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. "Icons and Identities from the National Portrait Gallery, London," which has kicked off at the national museum in central Seoul, is the first exhibition here that presents pieces from the British museum, the national museum said. The exhibition is divided into five sections with the themes "

May 2, 2021

Two regional museums receive works from Lee Kun-hee’s collection

Among the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection are paintings by Korean modern art masters Park Soo-keun and Lee Jung-seop. Some of those works have been donated to two regional museums dedicated to the respective artists. Eighteen works of art by Park Soo-keun (1914-1965) were donated to the Park Soo Keun Museum in Gangwon Province, while 12 by Lee Jung-seop (1916-1956) were donated to the Lee Jung Seop Art Museum. “Some valuable works among Lee’s collect

May 1, 2021

[Newsmaker] New museum, storage expansion mulled to make room for late Samsung chairman’s art collection

Authorities will come up with ways to make room for the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, the country’s largest donation of its kind in history, the government said Friday. “The government is seeking ways to hold artworks donated by Lee including improving storages at museums or building new museums if needed. President Moon Jae-in also raised the issue yesterday,” a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official told The Korea Herald. &ldquo

April 30, 2021

Around 23,000 artworks owned by late Samsung chairman to be donated

The late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, estimated to be worth trillions of won, will be donated to public museums across the country. The announcement by Samsung on Wednesday marks the single largest donation of artworks in Korea. Around 23,000 art pieces -- 21,600 antique works and 1,600 modern and contemporary works -- held by the late chairman are to be donated. “Most of works by Lee were donated, which is the largest scale of donation (in the art field

April 28, 2021

Lee’s art collection to be split up, donated to public sector

The long-anticipated announcement on the fate of the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, delivered Wednesday, drew mixed reactions from the art world. Around 23,000 art pieces -- 21,600 antique works and 1,600 modern and contemporary works -- will be donated to a number of public museums around the country as well as to Seoul National University, according to Samsung. While the antique art collection, which includes some 60 state-designated treasures, will be dona

April 28, 2021

‘Minari family’ rocks red carpet at Oscars

While veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung made history by winning the Oscar for best supporting actress for her portrayal of a Korean grandmother in “Minari,” her “wonderful Minari family” made its presence felt on the red carpet by sporting iconic looks. Youn showed up at the 93rd Academy Awards in a boxy midnight blue brocade gown designed by Egyptian semi-couture designer Marmar Halim, based in Dubai and London. She completed the look with a velvet belt, a diamond bracelet f

April 26, 2021

MMCA sheds light on animation history

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, will explore the history of animation from the 1920s to the 1940s in an exhibition that starts Friday. “Movement Making Movement” runs through Sept. 26 and features works by five representative pioneers of the genre. A total of 24 animations produced by German animators Lotte Reiniger (1899-1981) and Oskar Fischinger (1900-1967), New Zealand animator Len Lye (1901-1980), Czech film director Karel Zeman (1910-1989) and Scott

April 24, 2021