Viewing Artworks at the Exhibition Hall and Buying Art Books... The Familiarized 'Misul'

Sales of Related Books Increase 589% Following Edward Hopper Retrospective Exhibition

Public interest in art is noticeably increasing. Not only exhibitions but also art-related entertainment shows are receiving positive responses. The exhibition "Habsburg 600 Years, Masterpieces of Fascination," which was popular from the end of last year to the first quarter of this year, attracted 330,000 visitors, and "Edward Hopper: On the Road," presented in the first half of the year, had over 270,000 visitors as of the 6th. Entertainment shows featuring art themes, such as "No Money No Art" and "Misullang Guide," are also gaining attention.

This trend is also evident in bookstores. According to the cultural content platform Yes24, sales of art history and art appreciation books increased by 22.7% last year compared to five years ago in 2018. The number of published titles also grew significantly. Art history books increased from 68 titles in 2019 to 91 last year, and art appreciation books rose from 111 titles in 2019 to 164 last year.

Books related to exhibitions also attracted great interest. Sales of books related to the Hopper retrospective exhibition "Edward Hopper: On the Road," which opened last April, surged by 589.2% from April to July compared to the previous four months.

Books related to the "Master’s Gaze, Toward People - British National Gallery Masterpieces Exhibition," held at the National Museum of Korea since June, also drew attention. "Difficult Art Stories: National Gallery Special Edition," which contains exhibition artwork commentary by Yang Jeong-mu, a professor at the Korea National University of Arts’ College of Fine Arts, saw a 131.5% increase in sales in its second week after publication (July 17?23) compared to the previous week.