Beauty for all seasons

Shin Yun-bok’s iconic 18th-century painting, “Portrait of a Beauty” / Korea Times file

Shin Yun-bok's classic painting to be exhibited year round

By Baek Byung-yeul

A famous painting from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) is expected to be shown year-round at a Seoul museum after the facility undergoes major construction.

“Portrait of a Beauty” by Shin Yun-bok will be moved to a permanent exhibition hall at Gansong Art Museum after being shown twice a year since 1971.

Nestled into the base of Mt. Bukak in Seongbuk, central Seoul, Gansong Art Museum is the first modern private museum of Korea. It was founded in 1938 by Jeon Hyeong-pil, a well-known collector.

The museum was the most modern art facility after it opened. However, conditions deteriorated, forcing the museum to limit the number of days it opens.

Last month, Jeon’s descendants announced their plan to establish a foundation that will build a new museum next to the current one.

“As soon as we finish the registering process for establishing a foundation, sometime between August and September, we will announce our specific operation plan (for the new building),” an official of the art museum was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency.

The foundation will seek to attain financial stability for the project by managing support from sponsors. Organizers said sharing the country’s cultural heritages on a regular basis is the “homework” of the art community.

“The new museum, which will have a permanent exhibition hall, will be able to exhibit out art pieces year-round. The existing museum will be designated as a cultural asset of the Seoul City government, and will be used as an art institution,” the official added.

Despite the museum’s wear and tear, it continues to attract thousands of art lovers annually who want to enjoy the original version of “The Portrait of a Beauty” and other prominent artworks.

“The Portrait of a Beauty,” which portrays a woman with a round face, is often cited as a representation of beauty standards in the Joseon era. Painted on silk, it measures 45 centimeters in width and 114 centimeters in length.

The museum also has other national treasures including the original copy of “Hunminjeongeum,” the original manuscript of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, from 1446.

"The Portrait of a Beauty" has been on loan to the Cheongju Library in North Chungcheong Province as part of an exhibition focusing on Jeon’s efforts to preserve Korea’s cultural heritages. It will be exhibited for about a month starting Tuesday.

Visitors wait in line to enter the Gansong Art Museum in central Seoul in May last year. / Korea Times file