Art circles envision national modern art museum with Lee Kun-hee’s collection

The art circles in South Korea wish to build a national modern art museum with Chairman of the Samsung Group Lee Kun-hee’s collection. Relevant discussions are taking place including South Korean President Moon Jae-in instructing to create a special exhibition hall on Thursday.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Trust for Cultural Heritage Kim Jong-gyu and other figures in the art field launched a preparatory committee to build a national modern art museum and issued a press release on Friday. “In order to resolve the deformed situation where modern art pieces are exhibited as part of contemporary art museums, a national modern art museum needs to be built with over 1,000 modern art pieces donated by the Samsung family and about 2,000 pieces currently owned by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art,” said the committee. “We propose paying tribute to the Samsung family for their donation by setting up special exhibition halls named after Lee Byung-chul and Lee Kun-hee at a new museum.”

The preparation committee suggested a site in Songhyeon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul or Government Complex Seoul for the location of the new museum. “Having a new museum in Songhyeon-dong will produce huge synergy by creating a culture and art cluster connecting the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, Seoul Museum of Craft Art, and Insa-dong,” said former director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Jung Jun-mo. The preparation committee also explained that Government Complex Seoul is a symbolic location for the modernization and industrialization of South Korea, which is fitting with the symbolic meaning of modern art.


Jae-Hee Kim jetti@donga.com