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EXHIBITIONS / EVENTS

Exhibitions

EXHIBITIONS / EVENTSExhibitions

EXHIBITIONS / EVENTS

Exhibitions

The Lee Kun-hee Collection Modern and Contemporary Korean Art Special Exhibition : An Eye for the Times

Period 16 Feb, 2023 - 21 May, 2023
Location Gallery 2
Artist Park Soo-keun, Lee Jung-seop, Kim Whan-ki, Yoo Young-kuk, Kwon Jin-kyu etc.
Number of Artists over 40 artists
Admission Ulsan Art Museum
Organized by/Supported by

Ulsan Art Museum is set to hold a special exhibition of contemporary and modern Korean art from the Lee Kun-hee Collection, titled An Eye for the Times. The exhibition is part of a traveling exhibition of the Lee Kun-hee Collection, which was donated to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and it will showcase masterpieces that occupy an important position in contemporary and modern Korean art.
 

Historically, collectors with a keen, discerning eye have been able to identify and collect artworks that exemplify the insights and aesthetic values of their times. In doing so, they greatly contributed to the history and development of art. Notable examples of such collectors in Korea include Grand Prince Anpyeong and Gim Gwang-guk of the Joseon Dynasty as well as Jeong Hyeong-pil. They were the most prolific collectors of their times and boasted an extraordinary eye for art. In contemporary times, the most famous collector was Lee Kun-hee, the former chairman of Samsung Group. In April 2021, 23,000 artworks collected by Lee were donated to public art museums. The decision was made by Lee’s family after his passing; Sharing the beauty of Korean cultural heritages would contribute to Lee’s legacy as a lover of artwork, an active supporter of culture and the arts. In particular, the 1,488 artworks donated to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art include quintessential masterpieces of contemporary and modern Korean art.
 

An Eye for the Times will feature over 100 artworks. The majority belongs to the Lee Kun-hee Collection of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, but the exhibition will also include works from the Lee Kun-hee Collection of the Gwangju Museum of Art as well as prominent private collections in Korea. The exhibition examines the works of over 40 virtuosos, encompassing about 80 years from the 1930s to the early 2000s. In accordance with their temporal and aesthetic influences, these works are codified into four keywords: emergence, growth, establishment, and expansion. These keywords reflect human development throughout the course of life, and they will serve as milestones that will help guide an understanding of the history of Korean art, which has developed in response to the rapid changes Korean society has experienced.
 

The most effective means of developing a keen eye for art is to study good art. The 100 artworks in the exhibition are being featured so that they can be enjoyed and shared by the public instead of just a single person. Perhaps this opportunity to appreciate these historically and aesthetically significant masterpieces will serve as an opportunity to contemplate and reflect on the meaning of life.

Main Work
Park Soo-keun, The Shack, 1956, Oil on paper, 21.7x29.3cm, MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection, ©Park Soo Keun Research Institute

Park Soo-keun, The Shack, 1956, Oil on paper, 21.7x29.3cm, MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection, ©Park Soo Keun Research Institute

Kim Whan-ki, 30-Ⅲ-68#6, 1968, Oil on canvas, 121.3x85.6cm, GMA Lee Kun-hee Collection, ©Whanki Foundation·Whanki Museum

Kim Whan-ki, 30-Ⅲ-68#6, 1968, Oil on canvas, 121.3x85.6cm, GMA Lee Kun-hee Collection, ©Whanki Foundation·Whanki Museum

Park Soo-keun, The Shack, 1956, Oil on paper, 21.7x29.3cm, MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection, ©Park Soo Keun Research Institute

Park Soo-keun, The Shack, 1956, Oil on paper, 21.7x29.3cm, MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection, ©Park Soo Keun Research Institute

Kim Whan-ki, 30-Ⅲ-68#6, 1968, Oil on canvas, 121.3x85.6cm, GMA Lee Kun-hee Collection, ©Whanki Foundation·Whanki Museum

Kim Whan-ki, 30-Ⅲ-68#6, 1968, Oil on canvas, 121.3x85.6cm, GMA Lee Kun-hee Collection, ©Whanki Foundation·Whanki Museum

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