Korea's turbulent modern history at a glance
A front view of the floor plan of MMCA Deoksugung circa 1936-37, then named the Yi Royal Family Museum of Art / Courtesy of MMCA
Masterpieces on display at MMCA Deoksugung
By Kwon Mee-yoo
At Deoksugung Palace, one of the five royal palaces of Seoul, there is a series of Western-style buildings alongside traditional Korean buildings, creating an atmosphere unique to the palace.
One of the Western classical structures is the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) Deoksugung, a branch of the nation's flagship art museum. MMCA Deoksugung celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and an exhibition looks back at the museum's turbulent history.
Jung Chan-young's "Peacock" (1935) / Courtesy of MMCA
The “Birth of the Modern Art Museum: Art and Architecture of MMCA Deoksugung” exhibition features some 90 works of art from the museum's collection highlighting Korea's history of modern art and about 30 architectural documents related to the museum building designed by Japanese architect Nakamura Yoshihei in 1938.
The year 2018 also marks the 80th anniversary of the Yi Royal Family Museum of Art, the beginning of the building's glorious and shameful history. Upon opening in 1938 as the Yi Royal Family Museum of Art, the museum mainly showcased antiques, while Japan boasted its artistic advancements through works of modern art in the nearby Seokjojeon Hall, now the Daehan Empire Historical Museum.
After Korea's liberation, the National Museum of Korea used the building, until the MMCA took charge and held the annual National Art Exhibitions in the building from 1973 to 1986. Various government agencies later used the building until MMCA reopened a branch in 1998.
Korea's first modern museum
The exhibition consists of two parts ― the architectural design of MMCA Deoksugung and the modern art collection of MMCA.
“This is the first modern building in Korea built for the purpose of an art museum. Luckily we were able to find 646 sheets of floor plans and blueprints as well as telegrams and postcards that were used during its construction,” said Kim Jong-hun, professor of architecture at Pai Chai University. “These blueprints are in amazing detail, designs of each window and even lampshades of ceiling fixtures. The museum building itself is a modern masterpiece.”
According to Kim, the museum building is designed based on the mathematical structure of a cube of 3 by 3 by 3 meters and every detail including width, height, elevation and even pillars is controlled by the numbers.
“The alignment of its colonnades is like notes on a musical score, emphasizing the essence of Classical architecture,” the professor said.
Kim said the most notable characteristics of the building are its central hall which was originally designed to house a statue of the Buddha.
“The exhibition halls and display stands extend horizontally and vertically from the central hall. However, there was a disjunction between the modern aesthetics of the building and the antiques displayed at the museum when it first opened in 1938. We organized this exhibit to match the modern architecture with modern art.”
However, it is somewhat ironic that this architectural masterpiece “is perfectly symmetrical and represents the aesthetics of classism the best in Korea,” as described by Kim, as it is designed by a Japanese architect and located in one of the royal palaces of the Joseon Kingdom.
The building is a vestige of Japanese imperialism, but it holds the significance as the first modern building in Korea designed to serve as a museum.
Go Hui-dong's "Self-portrait" (1915) / Courtesy of MMCA
The MMCA opened in 1969 with a blank slate ― there were no works of art in the museum's collection. After the museum's first-ever exhibit “60 Years of Korean Modern Art” in 1972, MMCA purchased some of the works with a special budget.
The museum paid for 200,000 won for Lee Jung-seob's pencil drawing “Three People” (1943-45). The most expensive artwork purchased was Park Soo-keun's “Grandfather and Grandson” (1960) for 1 million won.
Korea's first modern artist Go Hui-dong's “Self-portrait” (1915) is one of the few remaining oil paintings by the artist. The artist's daughter-in-law discovered it in a storage bin in badly damaged condition. The museum bought the artwork and went through an extensive restoration and conservation process.
Kim Whan-ki's “Rondo” (1938) is considered the oldest existing abstract painting in Korea. The artist now holds the record for the most expensive price tag for Korean art at 6.55 billion won, but MMCA acquired “Rondo” for 250,000 won in 1972.
“From 1973 to 1998, MMCA expanded its collection of modern art mostly from donations. We had little budget for purchase and it was concentrated on collecting contemporaries, so most of the collection of modern art collection came from donations. It was common for a family to donate works after an artist passed away,” MMCA curator Kim In-hye said.
“Many Korean modern works of art were destroyed during the 1950-53 Korean War, so it is a miracle these pieces survived and became part of the MMCA collection. Now they belong to all Koreans and anyone can come see them.”
The exhibit runs until Oct. 14. Admission is 2,000 won for adults including the Deoksu Palace entrance fee. For more information, visit
or call 02-2022-0650.