SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) of South Korea announced plans to launch extensive permanent exhibitions of its key collections at its Seoul and Gwacheon branches this year. The museum also revealed plans to strengthen autonomous operations at its Gwacheon and Cheongju branches and develop new storage facilities in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province.
Starting in May, MMCA will open permanent exhibition halls at both its Gwacheon and Seoul locations, showcasing selected works from its collection of 11,800 pieces. The Gwacheon branch will display approximately 280 works from 1900-1980s, while the Seoul branch will exhibit about 80 works from the 1960s to the present.
The permanent exhibitions will feature significant works including Lee Jung-seop’s “White Bull” (1950s) and pieces from the Lee Kun-hee Collection, which recently completed a two-year regional tour.
This marks the MMCA’s return to maintaining permanent exhibition spaces after a five-year hiatus.
“Permanent exhibitions are both a fundamental and crucial responsibility of an art museum,” said Kim In-hye, head of MMCA’s curatorial department. “While we previously faced challenges maintaining permanent exhibitions due to an insufficient collection size and content, this aspect will be significantly expanded and prioritized starting this year.”
To address its overcrowded storage facilities, currently at 90% capacity, MMCA is pursuing plans to utilize the underground space of the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation’s Currency Division in Gyeongsan, which is currently vacant.
The Seoul branch will establish ‘MMCA Art Lab’ (tentative name), a permanent educational space featuring children’s exhibition rooms, archive exhibitions, and family lounges on the second floor of the education building.
The museum is also launching the MMCA Research Fellowship project to support international scholars studying Korean art. This year, professor Alexander Alberro from Columbia University will spend time in Korea, visiting art venues and participating in lectures and seminars.
Major exhibitions planned for the year include “Nostalgia, Painting Homeland” at the Deoksugung branch in August, commemorating the 80th anniversary of liberation. The Seoul branch will debut the ‘MMCA x LG OLED Series’ featuring large-scale installations in its Seoul Box space. Other exhibitions include “Surrealism and Modern Korean Art” at Deoksugung and “New Journey: Modern Art Association 1957-1960″ at the Cheongju branch.
Additionally, the Lee Kun-hee Collection will begin its international tour at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in the United States later this year, followed by exhibitions at major museums in the U.S. and UK.
The MMCA also announced the acquisition of 12 new international artworks last year, including pieces by American artist John Baldessari and Egyptian artist Wael Shawky, demonstrating its commitment to expanding its international collection despite budget constraints.
Image credit: The MMCA / photonews@koreabizwire.com
