SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - The British Museum will stage its first major exhibition dedicated to Korean art in more than four decades this fall, featuring works from the collection donated by the late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee and tracing over 2,000 years of Korea's artistic and cultural history.
The British Museum said Monday that it will present Korea, an exhibition running from Oct. 1, 2026, to Jan. 31, 2027, bringing together masterpieces from the National Museum of Korea, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and the museum's own Korean collection.
The exhibition is the third overseas showcase of works donated by Lee Kun-hee, following exhibitions in Washington and Chicago.
The museum said the exhibition will provide historical context for modern Korea's growing global influence, as Korean culture continues to gain popularity through Hallyu, or the Korean Wave.
"Korean art has evolved through exchanges with other cultures while developing its own distinct identity," museum director Nicholas Cullinan said. "Visitors will see how that identity was shaped through the country’s engagement with the wider world."
Key pieces include Celadon Gourd-shaped Ewer with Inlaid Lotus Design, a Goryeo celadon vessel renowned for its jade-green glaze and craftsmanship, and White Porcelain Bottle with Underglaze Bamboo Design, reflecting the understated elegance of Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). The exhibition will also feature Inwangjesaekdo (Scene of Mount Inwang After Rain) by 18th-century painter Jeong Seon, one of Korea's most celebrated landscape paintings.
Other notable works include pottery decorated with small clay figures from Korea's ancient Three Kingdoms period, Buddhist sculptures and manuscripts, folding screens symbolizing longevity and prosperity, traditional tiger-and-magpie paintings, and royal screens featuring the sun, moon and five mountain peaks, a symbol of the Korean monarchy.
“The exhibition presents a new story of Korea to international audiences," said You Hong-june, director of the National Museum of Korea. "Visitors in London will have an opportunity to discover the roots of K-culture."
The modern and contemporary section will feature works by Paik Nam-june, one of the world's most influential video artists; Woman in a Red Dress (1965) by Kim In-seung, a leading Korean painter known for his Western-style portraits; and Self-portrait (2019) by Suh Do-ho, a Korean installation artist based in London.
The museum said Suh’s work explores themes of identity, migration and memory, reflecting the exhibition's broader focus on the connections between Korea's past and present.
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