Museums Unfold Their 2010 Calendars
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Korea’s museums will be busier than ever this year as the nation marks the 100th anniversary of Japan’s annexation of Korea and the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War (1950-53). To commemorate these historical events, the state-run museums are planning to hold special exhibitions featuring the anniversary themes. Also, various intriguing blockbuster exhibitions are awaiting visitors.
National Museum of Korea
The National Museum of Korea will present a total of 135 relics, including the ``Greek Discus Thrower,’’ in its ``Greek Civilization Exhibition’’ from May 1 to Aug. 29 as part of its world civilizations series. Priceless treasures loaned from the British Museum will showcase Greek life and culture.
In October, the museum will hold a special exhibition featuring Goryeo Buddhist paintings, one of the biggest events of this year. The Buddhist paintings of the highest artistic value will be loaned from Japanese organizations and individual holders for the exhibition. Among some 80 Buddhist paintings which will go on exhibit, 60 are Buddhist paintings from the Goryeo Kingdom and 20 are Buddhist paintings, which were also popular in China and Japan at the time.
From September to October, some 200 relics from the Great Tomb of Hwangnam, the largest tomb in Gyeongju, the old capital of the Silla Kingdom, will be shown for the first time. Originally some 100,000 historical relics were excavated from the tomb in 1974-75. The exhibition will be displayed through various high-tech gadgets for 3-dimentional images. The exhibit will run from October to November.
The museum will present a special Silk Road Civilization Exhibition on Dec. 14 this year to March 27, 2011. The exhibition will showcase some 200 artworks including ``Tang San Cai,’’ or tricolor glazed art, from China’s Xinjiang Museum among others.
National Folk Museum of Korea
The National Folk Museum of Korea will open a special exhibition featuring ``bobusang’’ (peddler merchants) from March 24 to May 10 as part of the ``Year of Folk Culture in South Chungcheong Province.’’ It’s the first time to feature these wandering merchants as the main theme of an exhibition. It will shed light on the regional characteristics through the commercial activities of the touring vendors.
The museum also will present an exhibition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War on June 23 to Aug. 23. The exhibit will showcase the life of ordinary people during and after the war through various relics and items.
In November, it will display the treasures from the Russian Pyotr Museum to mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relation between Russia and Korea. The exhibit will highlight cultural diversities and similarities found in Eurasia through the northern Russian traditional culture, the folk culture alongside the Volga River, and the traditions of Tatar, Central Asian and Siberian tribes, along with the diplomatic history of the two countries. The exhibition will run from Nov. 23 this year to March, 2011.
Also, the institute will offer an opportunity for multi-cultural families to experience diverse culture through an Asian musical instrument exhibition. The exhibition will feature various ethnic music instruments from many countries from August to September.
National Palace Museum of Korea
The National Palace Museum will hold a photo exhibition featuring royal artifacts from the Korean Empire that succeeded the Joseon Kingdom to mark the 100th anniversary of Japan’s annexation of Korea. The exhibition will be on display from June 29 to Aug. 29.
The museum will also present some 100 treasures showing the beauty of the Vietnamese Imperial House from Nov. 9 this year to Feb. 6, 2011. The exhibition is part of the cultural exchange with the Hue Museum of Royal Fine Arts in Vietnam to help understanding of its culture through flamboyant royal treasures. Hue was the 19th and 20th Century capital of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), the last of the Vietnamese imperial families.
Seoul Museum of History
The Seoul Museum of History will hold the ``Korean War and Seoul’’ Exhibition from May to June. The Cheong Gye Cheon Museum, its associate museum, will hold a special exhibition featuring the propaganda bills to mark the Korean War from June.