National Museum of Korea to Showcase Masterpieces from the Bequest of LEE, KUN-HEE

A Special Exhibition to Celebrate the Donor’s Legacy

The National Museum of Korea will open a special exhibition featuring a selection of 45 masterpieces from the bequest of LEE, KUN-HEE, the late chairman of Samsung Group, on July 21.

The two-month exhibition entitled “A Great Cultural Legacy: Masterpieces from the Bequest of the Late Samsung Chairman LEE, KUN-HEE” will showcase items representing the historical periods and types of art that characterize this donation of unprecedented scale and scope. It will close on September 26.

In April of this year, Lee’s family donated 9,797 items in some 21,600 pieces amassed over his lifetime. Lee passed away last October. The bequeathed artifacts span from the prehistoric era to the early 20th century, and comprise a vast array of art including metalcrafts, earthenware and porcelain, bibliographic materials, calligraphy and painting, and wooden furniture.

The exhibits will include 28 objects designated as National Treasures or Treasures by the South Korean government. Among the most notable are the ink-and-wash painting “Clearing after Rain on Mount Inwang” (National Treasure No. 216), recognized as the masterpiece of the Joseon-era court painter Jeong Seon (1676-1759); “Bodhisattva Triad with a Single Halo” (National Treasure No. 134), which epitomizes the delicate techniques applied to gilt-bronze sculpture during the Three Kingdoms Period; “Practices and Vows of Samantabhadra from the Flower Garland Sutra” (National Treasure No. 235), a demonstration of the drawing and calligraphic skills of artisans of the Goryeo Dynasty at their finest; “Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara” (Treasure No. 2015), the only extant painting of its type; and “Sound of Autumn” (Treasure No. 1393), a landscape painting from the latter years of the celebrated Joseon court painter Kim Hongdo (1757-after 1806). [Figure 1~5].

Director General of the National Museum of Korea Min Byoung-chan explained that, even though of a modest scale, the exhibition is designed to shed light on the philosophy of LEE, KUN-HEE as a collector of antique art and represent the nature of his collection.

“We hope the exhibition will be an opportunity for visitors to look back on the efforts of our forebears to create great works of art using outstanding technological prowess and insightful designs, and also reflect on the philosophy of the donor who safeguarded these masterpieces,” Min said.

Lee’s collection of art and antiques reflects his management philosophy. While transforming Samsung into a global conglomerate, he constantly emphasized design in combination with technological innovation under his principles of New Management, Design Management and Mach Management.

Masterpieces Reflecting the Characteristics of Lee’s Collection

As a collector of antique art, Lee was guided by a strong sense of mission to contribute to the cultural development of humanity beyond his home country. In consequence, his collection came to comprise a wide array of art dating from the prehistoric through modern periods.

“I believe that collecting and preserving cultural heritage is vital for the future of human culture, and it is a universal obligation of us all, mandated by our times,” Lee said in his congratulatory remarks at the opening ceremony of the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, held on October 19, 2004.

The forthcoming exhibition will provide a glimpse into the remarkable diversity of Lee’s collection, ranging from Bronze and Early Iron age earthenware to gilt-bronze Buddhist statues and stoneware of the Three Kingdoms and the Unified Silla Periods (57 B.C.-A.D. 935); sutra copies, documents, Buddhist art objects and celadon from the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392); and books, paintings, porcelain wares and wooden furniture from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

Among the Bronze Age artifacts, a burnished red earthenware jar with a beautiful sheen from red iron oxide applied to the surface speaks to the artistry of the potters of the time, while a set of diverse types of ritual bells symbolizes the power and authority of those who used them. The bronze bells are National Treasure No. 255. [Figure 6, 7]

From the Three Kingdoms Period, a boat-shaped stoneware vessel hints at the appearance of boats at the time; a standing bodhisattva, designated Treasure No. 780, shows the resplendent beauty of sculpture of the era; and a sword hilt with a twin dragon design, Treasure No. 776, testifies to the advanced goldsmithing performed at the time. [Figure 8~10]

A white porcelain jar with a landscape design in cobalt underglaze, Treasure No. 1390, exudes a peaceful and leisurely atmosphere. The vessel’s form, smoothly swelling toward the foot, adds to the generous feeling of the imagery, attesting to the highest level of accomplishment by the artisans of the time. [Figure 11]

The late Lee was deeply interested in Korean cultural heritage abroad, and he played a key role in bringing home a number of Goryeo-era Buddhist paintings. Two of these will be shown in the exhibition: “Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara” and “Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara.” Both convey the characteristics of Buddhist painting of the Goryeo period, which is renowned for resplendent beauty and elegance. [Figure 4, 12]

Publications in the Lee collection that drew upon Hangeul indicate his awareness of and pride in the value of the then-newly-invented Korean script. The exhibition will feature two such publications: “Episodes from the Life of Shakyamuni Buddha, Vol. 11” (Seokbo sangjeol; Treasure No. 523-3) and “Episodes from the Life of Shakyamuni Buddha as Reflections of the Moon, Vols. 11, 12” (Worin seokbo; Treasure No. 935). [Figure 13, 14]

In his essay collection from 1997 entitled “Facing the 21st Century,” Lee observed, “From the viewpoint of informatization, we could say that movable metal type was the world’s first portable hardware, and Hangeul is an incredibly scientific piece of software.”

Modern Technology Enhances the Bequest’s Value

“Clearing after Rain on Mount Inwang,” which he painted at the age of 76, is recognized as the greatest masterpiece in Jeong Seon’s oeuvre. He knew the mountain intimately since he lived in a neighborhood at its foot. A video inspired by this work has been produced to introduce the mountain in greater detail, including its appearance and ambience after a rain. The video, entitled “A Stroll around Mount Inwang,” will be projected on a 98-inch screen. It will invite viewers deep into the nooks and crannies of the scenic mountain.

Infrared and X-ray photography will provide details of the two Goryeo Buddhist paintings that could not be observed with the naked eye. Infrared photography of “Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara” in particular exposes the many hands and the objects held in them as well as the eyes drawn on the nimbus.

X-ray imaging also helps distinguish subtle differences in colors of the mineral pigments. It shows how the ancient artists employed the unique technique of coloring from the reverse of the silk when expressing iconic holy images. [Figure 15, 16]

Visitor Guidelines 

Those who wish to visit the exhibition are advised to book a reservation through the homepage of the National Museum of Korea. A separate reservation is required beyond a general reservation for the permanent exhibitions. Under social distancing rules, the number of visitors will be limited to 30 people every 30 minutes. No exhibition catalogue will be published, but images of the exhibits and related information will be offered on the museum’s homepage ( www.museum.go.kr).