By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Korea and Ireland might seem at first sight to be not very related, but in fact they have something in common ― both are small countries influenced by powerful neighbors and have a troubled history.
Michael Ryan, director of Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland, is seeking closer ties with Korean culture through his recent visit to Seoul.
Both as a museum and a library, the Chester Beatty Library, named the European Museum of the Year in 2002, is home to an extraordinary collection of manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books and some decorative arts assembled by American-born Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968).
Ryan, who arrived in Seoul Monday, was invited by the Korea Foundation for a seven-day visit as part of efforts to promote Korean culture to Ireland.
``Korea seems to have been very important to a lot of people. One thing you have in common with Ireland is a small country beside very big powerful neighbors,'' Ryan said in an interview with The Korea Times.
He said that there has been significant Irish interest in Korea. One of things that Ireland did a lot in the 19th and 20th centuries is send religious orders, priests and nuns all over the world, including Korea.
After the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Irish people began to realize Korea was a much more interesting place, he said.
``The reputation of Korean museums has been growing internationally. I came to know a small number of Korean colleagues who are doing very important work in the international community,'' he said.
Korea hosted the triennial International Council of Museums in Seoul four years ago. He attended it, with some 3,000-4,000 other participants.
``I know that the reputation is very high. There isn't a big Korean community in Ireland. There is a small one, but people in the contemporary arts know about Korean arts. And we hosted a Korean exhibition five years ago. Contemporary arts. (It was) Pretty successful,'' said the director.
Ryan took the helm of directorship of the museum in 1992. Since then, under his leadership, the museum has seen a dramatic rise in the number of visitors.
``It has grown dramatically in terms of the number of visitors. But It's because we moved from the suburbs to the city center (in 2000). That's much more accessible and we can put on better exhibitions, including permanent exhibitions and we've been able to grow in size and staff because we need to grow to serve the public,'' he said.
He said that the public responds by coming in larger numbers every year. ``We have about 60-65 percent Irish visitors and the rest are from overseas. It's quite a reasonable portion. It's very important that we have our own local visitors because they pay our taxes and we can stay open and serve the public. Irish people have responded and it seems that numbers will continue to grow,'' said Ryan.
Concerning a decreasing number of visitors, especially foreigners, to the National Museum of Korea since its relocation, he said that not only just foreigners but also local visitors are important.
``The museum is very important in the improvement and renewal of the city. A good museum is part of the city. It is reinvigorating the city,'' he said.
But he said museums are very political. ``People always think a museum is not political. But museums reflect the standing of a country. They also had to forge a national identity. Sometimes they are positive but sometimes can be negative. People take that kind of pride in the museum's collection,'' he said.
When he visited the National Museum of Korea four years ago, he said he saw ``the best-ever simple and elegant temporary exhibition in the (old) museum.''
It was a Buddhist carving from the 10th century, which had been restored. ``It was more than life size and displayed in a room which had a giant cube completely in black. It picked out the minimum amount of perfectly balancing lighting. There were beautifully designed information sheets. It was utterly perfect. The presentation was absolutely enough to make (one) appreciate the exhibition. It struck me at that time. It was one of the best things I have ever seen in museum exhibitions anywhere,'' he said.
Concerning the prestige of the Chester Beatty Library, he said that simply because of the good design of the exhibition and the sheer quality of the collection, he is proud of the institution. ``The real artifacts of archeology and history speak to us emotionally as well as intellectually. The emotional power of the original objects is extraordinary. The replica is often perfect but it's never the same,'' he said.