Two National Treasures on Loan from National Museum of Korea Make First Appearance Outside of Korea; Additional Long-term Loan of Objects and Contemporary Works Cover Approximately 5,000 Years of Cultural History.
As a first step toward an expanded representation of Asian art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, a new gallery dedicated to the art of Korea opens to the public on December 8, 2007. Prominently located on the first floor of the museum´s Caroline Wiess Law Building, it will be the only museum gallery in the Southwest devoted to Korean art, and will combine contemporary Korean art with traditional artworks.
As announced in 2006, the long-term loan of traditional works from the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, Korea forms the basis of the new installation. Two Korean National Treasures, never before shown outside of Korea, make an exclusive two-month appearance. A selection of recent acquisitions of contemporary Korean art rounds out the presentation of 5,000 years of cultural history. A unique component of the MFAH installation will be an entrance gate, commissioned from the renowned contemporary artist Do-Ho Suh, to be completed and installed in 2008.
With the opening of the Arts of Korea gallery, the museum is placing new emphasis on this country and becomes one of a handful of museums outside of Korea to showcase this ancient culture. The new Korean gallery itself is part of an ongoing commitment by the MFAH to Asian art. Over the next two years, the Asian collection will be relocated and reinstalled on the first floor of the Law Building in space that is quadruple the size of the previous galleries. Next in line is a gallery for art of Indonesia that will open in Spring 2008. Galleries for the art of China and Japan are scheduled to open in December 2008, and a gallery devoted to Indian art will open in 2009. In addition to the expansion of floorspace, the MFAH is dedicating additional resources to the acquisition of new works in all areas of Asian art.
In addition to expanding the Asian galleries, over the next two years the MFAH will present several special exhibitions devoted to Asian art, beginning in January 2008 with a showing of the modernist Korean ink painter Suh Se-ok´s work in a show titled Where Clouds Disperse: Ink Paintings by Suh Se-ok. In February 2008 the contemporary Japanese photographer Yanagi Miwa is the subject of an exhibition, and in the summer of 2009 the Ancient Arts of Vietnam will feature ceramics, jewelry of gold and gemstones, more than a hundred bronze artifacts, and Hindu and Buddhist sculpture. In October 2009, Contemporary Art from Korea, co-organized with the Los Angeles Museum of Art, will gather together works by Korea´s finest contemporary, internationally-renowned artists for a major exhibition.
"The museum´s vigorous acquisition of the best contemporary art from Korea is a distinguishing element of this installation," said Peter C. Marzio, MFAH director. "This new art stems from the emergence of Korean artists into the global interchange of ideas, and communicates the artists´ complex response to their cultural past. Korea´s long and distinguished history of traditional art is rarely presented here in the United States, so it is with sincere gratitude that we acknowledge the National Museum of Korea for its loan of so many important examples of traditional Korean art."
Arts of Korea Gallery
The Arts of Korea Gallery covers the Neolithic age to the present. Four thematic sections—ceramics, Buddhist art, women´s personal ornaments, and contemporary art—present key moments in the country´s arts and culture. Following the Asian tradition of marking the entrances to shrines and temples with distinctive gates, the MFAH has commissioned a portal from the foremost contemporary Korean artist, Do-Ho Suh, that will mark the entrance to the gallery. There will also be an area dedicated to loans of Korean art from important local collections.
National Treasures — Gold from Silla
The highlight of the gallery´s opening is the exclusive loan of two of Korea´s National Treasures from the 5th century Silla Kingdom, a Crown with pendants and a Girdle with pendants, to be on view at the MFAH through January 2008. These magnificent, rare gold objects are making their first appearance outside of their home country, where they were excavated from the tombs of rulers who reigned during what is often called the Kingdom of Gold (Silla Kingdom, 57 B.C.-668).
Six Silla crowns are known to exist. The one on display in Houston, found in the tomb referred to as Gold Crown, is one of five that have been excavated in Gyeongju, ancient seat of the Silla Kingdom. The crown is crafted of sheet gold with typical stylized decorative tree- and antler-shaped elements and numerous crescent-shaped jade ornaments called gogok. The tree and antler forms represent the connection between heaven and earth, and the gogok symbolize the resurrection of life, fecundity, and abundance. Excavations have revealed that such crowns were worn covering the entire face, and thus were probably created as burial objects for the deceased.
The gold girdle was found in the same tomb as the crown. It measures nearly four feet in length and is adorned with a series of 17 pendants—among them a fish, a small knife in a gold sheath, and a gold wire tassel—attached to a chain of small square plaques.
Ceramics
Of all the art forms, ceramics most clearly illustrate Korea´s aesthetic development and technological progress, beginning with the porous, low-fired earthenware ceramics made in the prehistoric Neolithic Age (8000-1000 B.C.) and encompassing Korea´s Bronze Age (1000-300 B.C.), the period of Three Kingdoms (300-668), the Silla period, the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), and up to the present day.
A highlight of the ceramics section will be the loan of an exceptionally large Neolithic Comb-Pattern Jar. Simple in form, it is almost 20 inches in height and is incised with a deliberate decorative comb-pattern motif. It was excavated near the Han River in modern-day Seoul, providing evidence of the long history of human habitation in that area. A Red-Burnished Jar is an example from the Bronze Age. Among the pieces from the Three Kingdoms period is a large hollow vessel in the shape of a duck, and from the Unified Silla dynasty, a stoneware burial urn stamped with a pattern covering the entire surface.
A key turning point in the history of Korean ceramics is marked by the emergence of celadon during the Goryeo dynasty. Impressive representative examples include loans of a Turtle-Shaped Ewer, Incense Burner, and Flower-Shaped Dishes. Buncheong ware, also from this period, is characterized by the use of white slip over a fairly coarse gray stoneware clay body before a transparent grayish-green glaze was applied. The Covered Bowl and Flask-shaped Bottle are excellent examples of buncheong ware.
By the end of the 14th century, with the founding of the Joseon dynasty, white-bodied porcelain ware became the most popular type of ceramic. The early years of the dynasty were marked by undecorated white wares, reflecting the austere taste of the period. A notable characteristic of the Korean white wares, such as the 17th century Jar with cloud and dragon design, and Bottle with floral design, is the decidedly creamy white color of the porcelain as compared to the bluish-white wares produced in China.
Buddhist Art
Buddhism was introduced to Korea from China during the Three Kingdoms period and flourished through the Unified Silla and Goryeo periods. The religion was practiced and supported by the royal courts and the aristocracy, and eventually took hold among all levels of society.
The central role of Buddhism in Korean art is explored through a selection of figural sculptures and objects such as bells and ritual sprinklers used in the practice of the religion. Among the figurative deities are a Three Kingdoms Contemplative Boddhisattva, a Standing Buddha from the Silla period, and a Goryeo dynasty Seated Amitabha Buddha. The ritual objects demonstrate the complexity of Korean metalwork. The late Goryeo Ritual Ewer and Buddhist Bell, 13th-14th century, represent some of the most important of Buddhist ritual objects. One of the few bronze bells in a Korean collection, this example of a Buddhist bell has cast decoration of lotus flowers and a beautifully modeled dragon, typical of Goryeo bells.
Women´s Personal Ornaments
Another section is devoted to personal ornaments and accessories created for women´s personal use. These intricately decorative pieces served as adornment and to indicate social status. Among the objects are two signature works, the Joseon period Ornament with Amber and Ornament with Jade, which show the unique Korean decorative knot called maedup. Hairpins, a Celadon cosmetic case, a Mother-of-pearl inlaid mirror box, and a Cicada-shaped perfume pouch are a few of the exquisite items on view.
Contemporary Art
Contemporary Korea has developed over a century of turbulent history. In 1905, Korea, a country ruled by long dynasties, was made a protectorate of Japan and was annexed from 1910 to 1945. Since 1948, Korea has been divided and led by two separate governments. Against this history, contemporary artists are grappling with complicated issues surrounding tradition, modernity, and identity. From the MFAH permanent collection, a selection of art created since 2000 is included in the gallery and elsewhere on the MFAH campus. Highlights include Shin Meek-young´s homage to tradition with a large carved Buddha and a Chinese vase created of soap; and Kim Boem´s Jar White Porcelain with Spinosaurus design in Underglaze Cobalt-blue (2004), rendered by using a ballpoint pen and transparent lacquer on a paper clay vessel; and Lee Bul´s Untitled, a dynamic sculpture or wire, crystals and beads. Atta Kim´s Series of People, #073, from Museum Project (2000) places a bride and groom attired in Western clothing in a glass box; and Park Dae-Sung takes traditional ink painting to new dimensions with his enormous Hyun Yul (2006), measuring about six by twelve feet. Outside, visitors will encounter Gimhongsok´s Oval talk, a large talking egg that recounts ancient myths, and Choi Jeong-Hwa´s White Lotus Blossom, a gigantic, motorized interpretation of one of Asia´s most recognizable symbols.
"The juxtaposition of traditional Korean art with the very newest work from Korea recognizes the contributions of contemporary Korean artists to the international scene," said Christine Starkman, curator of Asian art at the Museum Of Fine Arts, Houston. "These artists very imaginatively engage with issues of Korean art history, globalization, and the nature of language and translation." -- www.mfah.org
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