2,000 years of Korean art, creativity to go on view in London
Poster for "Korea: 2,000 Years of Creativity," an exhibition of Korean art scheduled to open Oct. 1 at the British Museum in London / Courtesy of National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea
From ancient gilt-bronze ornaments to Nam June Paik’s video sculpture, a new British Museum exhibition will trace 2,000 years of Korean creativity through more than 180 works from Korea’s national collection.
“Korea: 2,000 Years of Creativity” opens Oct. 1 at the British Museum’s Joseph Hotung Great Court Gallery and runs through Jan. 31, 2027.
Jointly organized by the National Museum of Korea, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea and the British Museum, it is the final stop of an overseas tour built around works donated to the nation by the family of late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee in 2021.
The exhibition follows presentations at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., and the Art Institute of Chicago. It brings together 164 objects from the National Museum of Korea and 15 modern and contemporary works from MMCA, alongside works in the British Museum collection.
Arranged chronologically in four sections, the exhibition moves from early Iron Age archaeological objects and Buddhist art to Goryeo celadon, Joseon-era paintings and modern Korean art, in search of the essence of Korean culture.
The London presentation places greater emphasis on archaeology than its previous editions and includes 10 national treasures and 13 treasures, according to the Korean museums.
The exhibition also reflects the National Museum of Korea’s long-running initiative to support Korean galleries abroad. The museum has lent works to help activate the British Museum’s Korea Gallery since 2000; this exhibition expands that partnership by pairing loans with the host institution’s collections.