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Gallery of Korea

Redesigned gallery displaying over 250 Korean objects opens December 26, 2005

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is pleased to unveil its newly designed Gallery of Korea on Monday, December 26, 2005 as part of the first new and renovated galleries of Renaissance ROM. Located in the Museum�s historic Philosophers� Walk building, the Gallery of Korea explores the rich culture of Korea with over 250 exceptional works of art on display, highlighting the remarkable legacy of the nation�s history and art.

The ROM�s strong Korean ceramics collection takes centre stage in the new gallery, alongside a range of other artifacts including lacquered furniture and paintings, as well as sections dedicated to printing technology and the decorative arts, dating from the 3rd to the 20th centuries. Considered one of the oldest civilizations in the world, Korea has evolved as a distinct culture making its mark through art and technological accomplishments.

�Korea has retained a distinct culture from those of China and Japan, despite its close proximity to both much larger countries,� says Klaas Ruitenbeek, Louise Hawley Stone Chair of Far Eastern Art, World Cultures Department. �The new Gallery of Korea gives the Museum the honour of showcasing the important role Korea played in the development of East Asia through its art, science and technological achievements.�

As visitors walk through the new Far Eastern Galleries, which include those of China and Japan, they will notice the simplicity and elegance of Korean art. The folk tradition displays a bright colourful palette versus the subdued colours of literati art. These differences in artistic style illustrate the two aspects of Korean cultural life � simple and elegant, vibrant and colourful.
The ROM�s original Gallery of Korean Art, established in 1999 through the generous support of the Korea Foundation, has been re-envisioned in this elegant new gallery. The location of the new gallery in the Philosophers� Walk building, next to the galleries of China and Japan, allows visitors to view and interpret Korean artifacts in the wider context of East Asian cultural history.

Within approximately 1,500 square feet (135 square metres), the gallery presents the largest collection of Korean art and material culture in Canada. The first Korean work of art acquired by the ROM was a large 13th century inlaid celadon vase, purchased in 1910 � four years before the Museum opened its doors to the public. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Canadian missionaries collected Korean art and archaeological material, which was later donated to the ROM by their descendants.

The Gallery of Korea, through five distinct exhibit areas, focuses on the beauty of Korean ceramics, decorative and Buddhist art, paintings, calligraphy and printing technology. Also on display in these sections are examples of very refined wood and lacquer artifacts, as well as metalwork.

Highlights from the ceramics area include stoneware from the Three Kingdoms (37 BC � AD 668) and Unified Silla periods (AD 668 � 935), refined celadon-glazed stoneware of the Goryeo Dynasty (AD 918 � 1392), highly praised by Chinese connoisseurs of the period for its technique, and blue-and-white porcelains from the Joseon Dynasty (AD 1392 � 1910), which embody the aesthetics of Neo-Confucian philosophy.

�To me, the ROM�s ceramics are the strongest,� says the Gallery�s co-curator, Christina Hee-Yeon Han. �The ceramics include many wonderful and unique pieces, some bearing very distinct forms, including a melon-shaped ewer and a seal with a handle in the shape of a tiger. The collection also includes new acquisitions and purchases: a set of six porcelain funerary tablets and a large statute of a Tomb Guardian.�

The area dedicated to printing and book production will showcase some of Korea�s outstanding technological achievements. Rare specimens of wooden and metal moveable type will demonstrate a monumental technological achievement developed 200 years before Gutenberg created the first printing press in Europe. Examples of Buddhist scriptures and illustrations reprinted from a massive set of 80,000 woodblocks carved in the 13th century will be on display.

The presentation of the artifacts will primarily focus on the aesthetic principles and technological achievements epitomized in Korean art and culture. This approach will provide unique insights into the history and culture of Korea, and demonstrate how this vibrant society has made a lasting contribution to world through art and culture.

Coinciding with the opening of the new Gallery of Korea, a Korean-themed temporary exhibit will be shown in the redesigned Herman Herzog Levy Gallery. Korea Around 1900: The Paintings of Gisan is on display from December 26, 2005 to September 4, 2006. Guests can visit the H. H. Levy Gallery to gain further insight into Korean society at the turn of the 20th century through an impressive collection of large format genre paintings by Korean artist Gim Gisan.

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Issue date:
December 12, 2005

For more information:
Media Relations
Tel.: 416.586.5547
Fax: 416.586.8022
E-mail: media@rom.on.ca

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