Art Institute of Chicago debuts new Korean art gallery

By Park Han-sol

The Art Institute of Chicago unveiled on Friday its new gallery designed for and dedicated to the art of Korea.

The museum houses some 300 ceramics, textiles and paintings in its Korean art collection which spans more than 2,000 years from the Three Kingdoms Period (57 BCE-676 CE) to the present day. With updated vitrines, enhanced lighting and a larger floor plan, the new space can accommodate a rotating exhibition of 60 objects, allowing for a much more diverse and wider look into the country’s artistic heritage than previous displays.

The gallery’s presentation explores the political, religious and material cultures of Korea through six distinct themes. It has been curated by Chee Yeon-soo, who joined the museum in 2020 as the first associate curator of Korean art.

A section devoted to Buddhist artifacts is highlighted by an 18th-century Buddha statue that has been put on public view for the first time since its acquisition. Other sections spotlight celadon and tea culture from the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392); the use of symbolism in motifs; the shift from earthy “buncheong” stoneware to refined white porcelain during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) and the treasured possessions of the literati.

A group of contemporary works also invites viewers to see how artists of today engage in dialogue with the country’s traditional materials and forms.

To mark the gallery’s opening, two of Korea’s state-designated treasures — a gold crown and pendants, along with an intricately crafted belt excavated from the Silla-era Seobongchong Tomb — are on special loan from the National Museum of Korea. These royal relics will be on display in the U.S. until Feb. 3 next year.

The Art Institute of Chicago is set to be one of three major institutions hosting the 2025-2026 touring exhibition featuring highlights from the 23,000-piece collection donated by the family of the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee in 2021.

Around 200 pieces from this treasure trove will make their international debut at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in November 2025, before traveling to Chicago and later to the British Museum.