Smithsonian Nets $1.4m from National Museum of Korea

Do Ho Suh b. 1962, South Korea Follow +

The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian Art yesterday announced a U.S. $1.4 million grant from the National Museum of Korea.

The National Museum of Korea’s largest grant yet awarded will go towards activities including: exhibiting objects from the collection of former Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee for an exhibition opening in 2025, reinstalling the museum’s permanent collection of Korean art to engage younger audiences, and staff exchanges.

‘Following our 2023 centennial celebrations, we are embarking in concert with our new partners on our second century with great momentum,’ said the Smithsonian Museum of Asian Art’s director, Chase F. Robinson.

‘I thank the National Museum of Korea for this pacesetting gift that will allow us to continue to foreground the rich history of Korean arts and cultures as we begin a new chapter in our museum’s history,’ he said.

The Smithsonian Museum of Asian Art is one of six recipients of the National Museum of Korea’s Overseas Korean Galleries Support Program. The others are: the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art at California State University, San Bernardino; the National Museum of Denmark; Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands; the Oriental Museum at Durham University in the UK; and the 26 Martyrs Museum in Japan.

Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s budget for 2024 rose 3.17% year on year to KRW 6.95 trillion (U.S. $22.7 billion). Some U.S. $15.3 million was added to promote domestic art abroad.

Korea’s art world largesse extends to corporate sponsorships too, with car brand Genesis, a luxury label under the Hyundai Motor Group, announcing their sponsorship of the Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s Facade Commission. The commission will feature new work by Korean artist Lee Bul from 12 September.

‘As a long-time supporter of the arts, we are thrilled to embark on a new journey of Genesis Art Initiatives with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the world’s most highly respected arts institutions,’ said Euisun Chung, Executive Chair, Hyundai Motor Group.

Another of the brand’s sponsorship deals, the Genesis Exhibition at Tate Modern, will see Korean artist Do Ho Suh exhibit at the British art museum from 1 May to 26 October 2025. —[O]

Main image: Visitors viewing an object in the Korean gallery at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art. Courtesy National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution.