Arts of Korea Gallery in Texas reopens with Joseon Dynasty exhibition

The Arts of Korea Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston reopened last week, the National Museum of Korea said Monday.

Installation view of the Arts of Korea Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston [NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA]

The Arts of Korea Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston reopened last week, the National Museum of Korea said Monday.

The Arts of Korea Gallery, located on the first floor of the Texan museum’s Caroline Wiess Law Building, is filled with 33 items from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). With 29 of them lent to the museum by the National Museum of Korea’s collection, the items range from ceramics and wooden furniture to Buddhist sculptures. The white porcelain jar with dragon decorations is one of the pieces donated by the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee in 2021.

For 15 years, since first opening in 2007, the Arts of Korea Gallery exhibited 82 objects lent by the National Museum of Korea.

Since reopening, the gallery has been reorganized as a thematic exhibition that spotlights the life and culture of Joseon.

The museum will host public lectures on Korean history and culture and will also screen Korean films to “provide opportunities to experience and promote Korean culture.”

“It is expected that the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, which has been cooperating with us for a long time, will increase its impact through diverse new types of exchange programs, making a significant contribution to the promotion of Korean culture,” Yoon Sung-yong, director-general of the National Museum of Korea, said at the reopening ceremony on Thursday.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]