Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
US exhibition of late Samsung chairman's collection marks successful run with gala
Visitors view artwork at the “Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared” exhibition at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C. in this undated photo. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
By Lee Gyu-lee
As the first U.S. exhibition of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection nears its end, Samsung Electronics hosted a high-profile gala in Washington D.C. to celebrate its success and the growing global appreciation for Korean art and culture.
The exhibition “Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared,” which opened on Nov. 15 and will run through this Sunday at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian Art, puts on display some of the masterpieces from the chairman’s extensive personal collection.
The gala, held at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building on Wednesday (local time), brought together about 270 guests, including U.S. government officials, diplomats, business leaders, cultural figures and Korean War veterans. Among them were U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Senators Tim Scott and Andy Kim, Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna.
Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong speaks at a gala to celebrate the “Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared” exhibition in Washington D.C., Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong welcomed the guests and spoke about the late chairman’s lifelong devotion to preserving and sharing Korea’s cultural heritage.
“Memory and history are important to Koreans. That is part of why this exhibit means so much to me,” Lee said.
“Despite the hardships of colonial rule and the Korean War, my father and grandfather believed it was their duty to safeguard the future of our culture. It was a tremendous honor to share this collection with you. I believe it’s our small contribution to bringing the American and Korean people closer together.”
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, left, shakes hands with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong during a gala to celebrate the “Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared” exhibition in Washington D.C., Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
The Smithsonian Institution highlighted the exhibition as the largest ever exhibition of Korean art at its Asian art museum, spanning 1,500 years of history.
Since opening, more than 61,000 visitors have viewed the exhibit, with total attendance expected to surpass 65,000 by closing.
Following its Washington debut, the collection will continue its global tour, including stops at the Art Institute of Chicago from March to July and the British Museum in London from September to January 2027.