LEEUM SAMSUNG MUSEUM OF ART IN SEOUL

leeum samsung museum of art is a private art museum run by the samsung foundation of culture.

i noticed that it helps immensely to conceive structures meant especially for art exhibitions. i know now that re-purposing large-sized former dwellings to this end is not such a great idea.

and this museum did just that: it has three buildings, each designed by a famous architect. and 13,000 won (approx. 9 euro) will buy you a day pass that allows you access to the whole thing.

museum 1 is by mario botta and it is made to showcase traditional korean art pieces. as taking pictures of the permanent exhibition was forbidden, i don’t have any photographs. but i can tell you that the pieces were wonderfully displayed and lit. also, you can see them here.

i was allowed to take pictures of the common areas and there was the famous red tulle staircase by local artist do ho suh.

also, in the main lobby there was one of alexander calder‘s kinetic sculptures. if you happen to be in town, you can visit the museum during the last days of an ongoing exhibition by the artist.

museum 2 is by jean nouvel and it houses the contemporary art collection.

i liked hyunkoo lee‘s skeletal take on tom and jerry called felis catus animatus mus animatus.

but also the sculptures recreated from photographs by osang gwon.

the samsung child education and culture center was designed by dutch architect rem koolhaas and it usually welcomes the temporary exhibitions.

when i visited, they had two shows. the first one was opulence: treasures of korean traditional craft.

and the second one was mise en scene.

adjacent to the 3 wings, there is a rectangular sculpture garden. it used to be inhabited by louise bourgeois maman, but, ever since last year’s anish kapoor exhibition, the garden displays the artist’s tall tree and the eye. i found out that the spider is in storage and it is the property of the museum.

the museum is impressively well-organized. i liked it how they use samsung tablets for the audio guides. and they are available for only 2.000 won (approx. 1.4 euro).

if there is one thing i don’t like so much is the fact that the contemporary art collection seems a best-of selection of the current international super stars. but they do compensate with a series of works of their best korean artists. oh, one more thing: why did they have to choose to surround their museum with two of the sculptures chosen by the bilbao guggenheim? i know copying is the sincerest form of flattery, but with so much great art and with their acquisition budget, i see no explanation.

anyhow, it’s a super modern museum and the overall experience was wonderful. do not miss this place if you happen to be in seoul!

photo credits: little aesthete

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