Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Museums & Galleries: Displaying Korea's Past and Future
    Museums & Galleries: Displaying Korea's Past and Future
    Museums & Galleries: Displaying Korea's Past and Future
    Ebook179 pages2 hours

    Museums & Galleries: Displaying Korea's Past and Future

    By Ben Jackson

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The history of Korean museums goes back more than 100 years, to the opening of the Jesil Bangmulgwan in 1909. There are now 11 national museums in provincial cities throughout Korea, unified by the hub that is Seoul's iconic National Museum of Korea, completed in 2005, while the large number of regional, university, art, specialized and other museums continues to rise.

    Korea's galleries emerged one by one with the advent of "modernity," the flourishing of modern art and the development of the economy, introducing many Korean and international artists and playing an important role in developing popular culture.

    Korea's museums and galleries, displaying everything from Paleolithic relics to the latest experimental works by contemporary artists, offer windows onto the country's past, present and future.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSeoul Selection
    Release dateJul 27, 2015
    ISBN9781624120404
    Museums & Galleries: Displaying Korea's Past and Future

    Read more from Ben Jackson

    Related to Museums & Galleries

    Titles in the series (20)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Art For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      On Korean Aesthetics

      Sep 12, 2019

      On Korean Aesthetics
      5 min read

    • Article

      Joseon Koreans

      Jul 16, 2020

      Joseon Koreans
      3 min read

    • Article

      City

      Jan 4, 2024

      City
      7 min read

    • Article

      Spotlight on Craft

      Dec 13, 2021

      Spotlight on Craft
      2 min read

    • Article

      Writing History

      Jun 27, 2022

      Writing History
      2 min read

    • Article

      Historic Locations

      Jul 16, 2020

      Historic Locations
      4 min read

    • Article

      Back To The Future

      Jul 4, 2022

      Back To The Future
      5 min read

    • Article

      Exhibitions

      Nov 11, 2021

      Exhibitions
      2 min read

    • Article

      Korea, South

      Jan 3, 2020

      Korea, South
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Grand Stage

      Jan 5, 2024

      The Grand Stage
      4 min read

    • Article

      Repatriating Relics

      Oct 26, 2023

      Repatriating Relics
      4 min read

    • Article

      Typing Time

      Oct 5, 2021

      Typing Time
      1 min read

    • Article

      Memories Of A City

      Feb 5, 2024

      Memories Of A City
      3 min read

    • Article

      Glazed With History

      Jul 21, 2022

      Glazed With History
      1 min read

    • Article

      Seoul

      Sep 12, 2018

      The best preserved of Seoul’s five royal palaces, the former homes of the kings of the Joseon Dynasty, Changdeokgung Palace was originally inhabited in the 15th century and today is a sprawling UNESCO World Heritage-listed site housing numerous cultu

      1 min read

    • Article

      Master Strokes

      Feb 1, 2020

      Master Strokes
      2 min read

    • Article

      All Aboard the Seoul Train

      Oct 10, 2022

      All Aboard the Seoul Train
      6 min read

    • Article

      Museum Marks Milestone

      Jul 21, 2022

      Museum Marks Milestone
      5 min read

    • Article

      Show Time

      Nov 3, 2021

      Show Time
      8 min read

    • Article

      Life In The Limelight

      Jan 5, 2023

      Life In The Limelight
      3 min read

    • Article

      Palace Intrigue

      Sep 6, 2022

      Palace Intrigue
      1 min read

    • Article

      ART & SEOUL

      Sep 2, 2023

      ART & SEOUL
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Trove of Forbidden Treasures

      Jul 14, 2022

      Located at the western tip of the West Kowloon Cultural District and adopting an innovative curatorial approach, the Hong Kong Palace Museum opened its doors to the public after five years of planning, designing and construction. More than 900 treasu

      4 min read

    • Article

      Art In West Kowloon

      Nov 9, 2021

      Art In West Kowloon
      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Museums & Galleries

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Museums & Galleries - Ben Jackson

      2007

      Today’s Korea is built on the foundations of what is commonly claimed to be 5,000 years of history. Though the peninsula’s turbulent past has ensured that significant quantities of historic relics, documents, sites, and artworks have been lost forever, enough still remain to fill the 38,000 square meter exhibition halls of the National Museum of Korea. And though this institution may be the jewel in the country’s museum crown, it is also the big tip of a very big iceberg of museums displaying relics from anywhere between the shadows of prehistory and the neon-lit, ordered confusion of 20th century industrialization.

      This chapter, introduces five of Seoul’s principal national and public museums, beginning with the mighty National Museum of Korea. All are located in Seoul. The National Folk Museum of Korea is packed with artifacts competing to tell the long and multifaceted story of change and continuity that constitutes the history of the Korean people and their everyday lives over millennia of hunting, gathering, farming, being born, getting married, having children, dying, and plenty more.

      The National Palace Museum of Korea houses thousands of artifacts from the long Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897) and the Greater Korean Empire (1897-1910), giving a comprehensive view of the rich cultural and political environment of the royal court, and its efforts to rule itself and the country in accordance with Neo-Confucian principles (see p27 for an explanation of overlapping dates regarding the Joseon Dynasty and the Greater Korea Empire). Seoul Museum of History comes to grips with the past and present of one of the world’s largest megacities, tracing its dizzy path from the days of earthen fortresses to a medieval walled city, war-torn wasteland, mushrooming capital of a developing nation, and beyond. The War Memorial of Korea remembers the repeated efforts and sacrifices made by Korea to defend itself over the past 5,000 years, most notably and tragically during the war of 1950-1953. With its solemn architecture, seemingly endless lists of names of the fallen, and sobering displays, the memorial endeavors to ensure that the horror of war and the value of peace are never forgotten.

      The Bosingak bell at the National Museum of Korea

      NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA

      The National Museum of Korea is the undisputed jewel in the country’s museum crown. Located in Yongsan, at the geographical heart of Seoul, the huge museum is outstanding in almost every way: its sheer size, the number and importance of its exhibits, its groundbreaking design, and its convoluted history, to name just a few. Its opening in 2005 marked the first time since Korean independence in 1945 that the National Museum of Korea was able to settle permanently in a custom-made, Korean-designed and built location big enough to do justice to its enormous and diverse collection.

      The Yongsan area, where the National Museum of Korea is located, has long been a source of indignation for Koreans as the site where foreign powers, including China, Japan, and most recently the United States, have maintained military bases. Yongsan is centrally located within Seoul, near the Hangang River and Mt. Namsan. When the Korean Peninsula is unified, the National Museum of Korea at Yongsan has the potential to serve as a true cultural center for all Koreans. The list of highlights seems almost as long as the 400-meter museum that contains them: 67 designated National Treasures, 114 Treasures, and four Important Folklore Materials that include paintings, ceramics, pagodas, bells, ancient documents, crowns, sculptures, figurines, and much more.

      NATIONAL TREASURES

      Ten-story pagoda from Gyeongcheon Temple site

      (14th c., National Treasure No. 86)

      A 10-story marble pagoda dating from 1348 and depicting 16 scenes from Buddhist ceremonies.

      Pensive bodhisattva

      (7th c., National Treasure No. 83)

      An immaculately cast artistic and technical triumph that has a very powerful presence as it occupies a room all of its own.

      Horse rider-shaped vessels

      (5th-6th c., National Treasure No. 91)

      Two similar pieces of pottery, found in the Silla Dynasty Geumryeong-chong Tomb, thought to have been specially manufactured for rituals.

      Displaying the History of Korea

      Compared to those of other Asian countries, Korea’s culture and history have in the past suffered from a low global profile. Korea’s history was frequently derailed due to invasions by neighboring countries. Many past Korean rulers and governments also proved passive when it came to their own national culture, although this trend has changed much in recent times. Korea’s culture was extensively damaged during the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945) when many artifacts were removed from the country. Even after liberation, the Korean War (1950-1953) soon exposed Korea’s cultural heritage to more physical damage and irrecoverable loss. The National Museum of Korea was not permanently established in Seoul at any time after liberation until 1997. Its collections were relocated many times; more perhaps, than those of any other national museum in the world. Despite continuous efforts to preserve Korea’s culture, it was not until 1997 that the government began to plan for the development of a proper museum building.

      A Trove of National Treasures

      Today’s National Museum of Korea includes separate areas for special exhibitions and a children’s museum, along with galleries for permanent exhibitions categorized into six major groups: Prehistory and Ancient History; Medieval and Early Modern History; Calligraphy and Painting; Donated Works; Sculpture and Crafts; Asian Art; and Outdoor Exhibitions. Occupying a large part of the museum’s first floor, the Prehistory and Ancient History exhibition covers the long stretch of time from the Paleolithic period to the Unified Silla (676-935) and Balhae kingdom (698-926), taking in the Neolithic period, Bronze Age, and Gojoseon periods, the Buyeo kingdom and Samhan period, the Goguryeo kingdom, the Baekje kingdom, the Gaya Confederation and Silla kingdom in between. Starting with the crudest of stone tools, the exhibition charts the evolution of pottery, jewelry, military equipment, and various other types of artifacts as they grew in sophistication and acquired distinct identities according to region and period.

      The Medieval and Early Modern History collection occupies the remainder of the museum’s first floor and encompasses the Goryeo (918-1392) and Joseon (1392-1910) periods. By the time of the Goryeo period, Buddhism was firmly established as the main religion on the Korean peninsula. Exchange took place with China and other neighboring states, while a strong aristocratic culture developed. Among the many outstanding achievements of this period, celadon ceramics are particularly admired. Here, three rooms display 500 Goryeo artifacts. The Goryeo era was followed by the long Joseon period, during which time Buddhism was stripped of its status as state religion and Neo-Confucianism become the dominant source of social and political guidance. This period saw a multitude of scientific, cultural, and philosophical developments that were rudely interrupted for a final time by the dog-eat-dog global environment of the late nineteenth century, prompting Joseon monarch Gojong to proclaim the Greater Korean Empire in 1897. The remaining five rooms in the Medieval and Early Modern History exhibition display 400 objects from the Joseon period.

      Geumgwanmitsuhasik, gold crown, National Treasure No.191, 4th c.

      The second-floor Calligraphy and Painting exhibition comprises four rooms,

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1