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| Culture Minister Hwang Hee speaks during a press briefing at the Central Government Complex in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
The government plans to build a new museum in Seoul to exhibit the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The culture ministry announced Wednesday that it was considering two spots in central Seoul ― the grounds of the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, and a large empty lot previously used for U.S. embassy housing in Jongno District’s Songhyeon-dong, near the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) ― as the site for the new museum, which is expected to be completed by 2027 or 2028.
“After discussions with an experts’ committee and the relevant authorities, we’ve come to the conclusion that building a new art museum will help us better manage Lee’s art collection. We believe that adheres to the donor’s philosophy in art collecting,” Culture Minister Hwang Hee said during a press briefing at the Central Government Complex in Seoul.“As the National Museum of Korea and MMCA are members of the committee, they will fully cooperate in transferring their donated works to the new location. We will decide on the final site for the new art museum by the end of 2021.”
In April, Lee’s family donated 23,181 works of art ― 21,693 pieces to the National Museum of Korea and 1,488 pieces to the MMCA.
The two museums will put the artwork on display starting July 21. Ahead of the two exhibitions in the capital, some pieces from Lee’s collection were unveiled at two public museums in Gwangju and Daegu, June 29.
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| Kim Whan-ki’s “Women and Jars” (1950s) is part of Lee Kun-hee’s art collection donated to the MMCA. Courtesy of MMCA |
The Gwangju Museum of Art and Daegu Art Museum are currently running special exhibitions showcasing 30 and 21 works, respectively, from Lee’s collection as well as pieces owned by the museum.
Regional museums including the Gwangju Museum of Art, Daegu Art Museum, the Lee Jung Seop Art Gallery on Jeju Island and the Park Soo Keun Museum in Gangwon Province received 143 pieces from Lee’s collection. These will not be transferred to the newly built museum.
Local governments across the country have been expressing their desire to host the new museum for Lee’s vast art collection in their region in the hope of promoting their cities, but they lost out to Seoul. However, a traveling exhibition featuring works from the collection will be held at national and public museums across the country starting in the second half of 2022.
Hwang pinpointed four principles in selecting the two possible spots. They include enhancing the public’s cultural enjoyment, stimulating individual creativity through offering art that explores cultural fusion, expanding ties with local and foreign museums, and establishing a global image for Korea as a cultural powerhouse.
The ministry added it plans to cooperate with overseas art museums and galleries, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, to exhibit donated works abroad. A database of the donated art is set to be completed by 2023.
Gov’t to build new museum to exhibit late Samsung Chairman’s donated art collection
Source: Buhay Kapa PH
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