[On-site Video] From Monet's 'Water Lilies' to 'Inwangjesaekdo'... Lee Kun-hee Collection 1st Anniversary Exhibition

[Asia Economy PD Yoon Jin-geun] An exhibition where you can see Claude Monet's and the national treasure Gyeomjae Jeong Seon's all in one place is currently being held.

A special exhibition showcasing the masterpieces collected by the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee has opened. The first anniversary exhibition of the Lee Kun-hee Collection donation, "An Invitation from a Collector," has been ongoing at the National Museum of Korea's special exhibition hall since the 28th of last month.

This exhibition is co-hosted by the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which manage over 23,000 cultural assets and artworks donated by Chairman Lee's family to the state last year. In addition to these two museums, a total of 355 works from across the country are on display. Included are 13 items from 6 national treasures and 20 items from 15 treasures.

"An Invitation from a Collector" is designed with the concept of inviting visitors into the collector's home. Part 1, "Introducing My Home," metaphorically arranges spaces such as the entrance, reception room, and living room to represent the collector's house. Part 2, "Introducing My Collection," categorizes the collection into four themes, sharing the collector's insight and taste.

This exhibition offers a wide range of works, from Eastern and Western paintings to pottery, stone tools from various eras, calligraphy, and sculptures.

Curator Lee Jae-ho said, "We metaphorically represented a virtual space called home through diverse traditional cultural heritage and modern and contemporary art museums," adding, "I hope visitors feel a warm impression as if they were invited to the collector's home."

Curator Lee selected three zones with notable works for visitors to appreciate during this exhibition. Claude Monet's (1917?1920), shown to the public for the first time in Korea, depicts pink water lilies floating on a pond. Lee said, "You can immerse yourself in the painting where Monet in his later years painted the water lilies almost abstractly, melting into the light."

The 18th-century is displayed alongside Suhwa Kim Whanki's 1950s abstract painting . Lee explained, "Kim Whanki, who loved the moon jar so much that he named the white porcelain jar 'Moon Jar,' shows in his semi-abstract paintings a world moving toward abstraction rooted in the beauty of the moon jar and tradition, all in one space."

This exhibition features rotating displays of works symbolizing the four seasons, such as , , , and . Among them, Gyeomjae Jeong Seon's (1751) is on display until the 31st. Curator Lee said, "You will be able to feel the fresh summer air while appreciating ."

Meanwhile, visitors lined up before 10 a.m., when the exhibition opened, to purchase tickets and waited for admission times every 30 minutes. Yu Ju-ho (22), who came to see the exhibition during his military leave, said, "I came because it’s the first anniversary of Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s donation, and they gathered great works for the exhibition." He added, "I have never seen in person before, so I’m looking forward to it being exhibited."

Choi Yoo-jin (29) said, "Because of one collector, the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee, culture is flourishing, and citizens have the opportunity to appreciate great works, so I came." She continued, "I was deeply impressed by Monet’s works from the Impressionist era, so I am looking forward to Monet’s ." "An Invitation from a Collector" runs until August 27 at the National Museum of Korea's special exhibition hall.