Explanation of 12 Representative Collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Online Videos

Yoon Beom-mo, Director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art [Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) will release videos of the "Museum Collection Lecture," introducing 12 representative collection pieces online, from the 8th through early December via Facebook and YouTube.

The Museum Collection Lecture is a program that introduces one artwork intensively through short videos under 10 minutes, allowing viewers to easily and conveniently access masterpieces of Korean modern and contemporary art held by the MMCA from home. The 12 representative collection pieces, selected through a visitor survey, will be explained directly by Yoon Bum-mo, the director of the MMCA.

The 12 collection pieces were selected based on responses from about 2,000 participants in an online survey conducted with visitors since December 2019. The works include Park Saeng-gwang's "Jeon Bong-jun (1985)," Chae Yong-shin's "Portrait of Emperor Gojong (1920)," Koo Bon-woong's "Portrait of a Friend (1935)," Kim Whanki's "Rondo (1938)," Lee Quade's "Portrait of a Woman (1940s)," Park Rae-hyun's "Street Stall (1956)," Kwon Jin-kyu's "Face of Ji-won (1967)," and Paik Nam-june's "More the Better (1987)." One or two pieces will be released sequentially each month.

The first video on the 8th will introduce Park Saeng-gwang's masterpiece "Jeon Bong-jun," which combines traditional Korean five cardinal colors (Obangsaek) with modern Korean painting. The video will be streamed live on the MMCA Facebook page, and a replay will be available on Facebook after the live broadcast ends. To allow overseas viewers to enjoy Korean art masterpieces, English subtitles will be added and provided through the MMCA YouTube channel.

Yoon Bum-mo, director of the MMCA, said, "The Museum Collection Lecture, experienced through 10-minute videos, is part of the MMCA's efforts to connect with global audiences anytime and anywhere online." He added, "Although visiting museums is difficult due to COVID-19, I hope this provides an opportunity to comfortably appreciate the museum's representative collection pieces at home and become familiar with contemporary art."