Renaissance exhibition in Seoul

A large collection from the Vatican Museums will be on display at Seoul Arts Center starting Dec. 8. / Courtesy of Edelman Korea

By Do Je-hae

The Vatican Museums’ Renaissance collection will be exhibited in Korea from Dec.8 to Mar. 31 for the first time. Located in Vatican City State, the Vatican Museums is one of the most prestigious museums in the world with over 5 million annual visitors.

Co-hosted by the museum and the Korean Broadcasting System, the exhibition will take place at Hangaram Art Museum in Seoul Arts Center, making it the first exclusive and large-scale exhibition that the museum will hold in Korea.

There will be a variety of paintings, decorative arts, sculptures from the Early to the High Renaissance. In particular, several works of the three of the most recognized masters of the High Renaissance will be included in the collection.

“We hope that this event can be an inspirational opportunity for the Korean people to experience the Renaissance arts and to get to know more about the Vatican City State and its commitment to sharing great art with the public,” Guido Cornini, the chief curator of Vatican Museums said in a statement.

Famous pieces such as “St. Jerome in the Wilderness” by Leonardo da Vinci; “Charity” and “The Coronation of the Virgin” by Raffaello Santi; and “Pieta” by Michelangelo Buonarroti will be exhibited, and also the legendary “Genesis” from The Sistine Chapel will be displayed in the form of HD multi media.

“Pieta” is known to be the main inspiration of the recent Venice International Film Festival prize-winning movie by Kim Ki-duk. Other than the artworks listed above, there will be a number of symbolic pieces of the Vatican Museums including “Laocoon and His Sons,” “Musician Angel” and “Torso Belvedere.”