As the first of the visual arts series in Virtual K-Culture, the Korean Cultural Centre is pleased to introduce "<The Square: Art and Society 1900~2019> PART 1.1900-1950 Live Gallery Tour with Curator” presented by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Korea.

Since its establishment in 1969, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Korea (MMCA) has stood by the history and progress of Korean contemporary art, securing its footing as the representative institution of Korean visual culture. MMCA operates a four-museum system: Gwacheon (established in 1986), Deoksugung(1998), Seoul (2013) and Cheongju (2018); within which the four venues interact organically with one another while retaining their individual identities.

<The Fiftieth Anniversary Exhibition of MMCA Korea The Square: Art and Society in Korea 1900-2019> was organized as a part of the special program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of MMCA in 2019, shedding new light on Korean history and art from 1900 to present. The program is comprised of three special exhibitions, held at three different sites of the MMCA; PART 1 (1900~1950), PART 2 (1950~2019) and PART 3 (2019).

PART 1 at MMCA Deoksugung deals with the period from 1900 to the 1950s, starting from the enlightenment movement which began in the late 19th century through Japanese occupation, the Pacific War and National Liberation in 1945. Following the traces of historical figures who resisted against Japanese suppression and fought for ‘justice’ during the turbulent time, the exhibition narrates the dynamic social and cultural changes in relation to the art scene at the time. It delineates the genealogy of the artists’ thoughts into how the Korean traditional spirit developed and fused with a new idea of western influence. The exhibition examines how art has developed by adopting and reacting to the society according to the flow of history.

Shall we begin the tour of the exhibition led by Inhye KIM, Curator of the MMCA?

Please click the image below.