Kim Seong-hee, Director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, "Revival of Permanent Exhibitions at Seoul and Gwacheon Branches, Activation of Art Diplomacy"

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, 2025 Exhibition Plans and Major Projects
Gwacheon and Cheongju Branches Operate as Semi-Branches... 'Strengthening Autonomous Management'
Securing New Storage Facility in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk... Addressing Overcapacity Issues
Lee Kun-hee Collection to Tour Abroad... From Smithsonian Institution in the US

"The Seoul and Gwacheon branches will resume their permanent exhibitions, and the Lee Kun-hee Collection will embark on a U.S. tour. Additionally, the Gwacheon and Cheongju branches will adopt an operational department system to strengthen autonomous management, and a new storage facility will be secured in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk to resolve the issue of storage saturation." (Director Kim Seong-hee)

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA, Director Kim Seong-hee) announced its exhibition plans, major projects, and operational directions for this year on the 7th.

On the morning of the 7th, Kim Seong-hee, the director, announced the 2025 exhibition plan and major projects at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

This year, the MMCA plans to ▲establish large-scale permanent exhibitions in Seoul and Gwacheon, ▲collaborate with prestigious museums across Asia, Europe, and the United States to hold cooperative exhibitions worldwide to promote Korean art globally, ▲introduce an operational department system at the Gwacheon and Cheongju branches to enhance autonomy, ▲strengthen the museum’s foundation by securing new storage space, ▲expand international exchanges in research by inviting overseas scholars and co-publishing to promote global discourse on Korean art, and ▲open the 'MMCA Art Lab' (tentative name) in the education building of the Seoul branch to create a new platform for museum education for future generations.

First, the permanent exhibitions will utilize 1,000 pyeong (approx. 3,306 m²) at the Gwacheon branch and 470 pyeong (approx. 1,550 m²) at the Seoul branch to carefully select and display key collections. Among the approximately 11,800 pieces in the collection, works from the 1900s to the 1980s will be showcased at the Gwacheon branch, while the Seoul branch will present works from the 1960s to the present. The 'Lee Kun-hee Collection,' which completed regional tours over the past two years, will be prominently featured.

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul.
[Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]

Director Kim explained, "At the Gwacheon branch, about 1,000 pyeong of space will display works from the 1900s to the 1980s organized by era, theme, and artist, while the Seoul branch will hold a highlight exhibition in its 470-pyeong space across Exhibition Halls 1 and 2, showcasing the finest works from the 1960s to the present. The permanent exhibitions will be updated annually, establishing a space where representative works of modern and contemporary Korean art can be viewed continuously."

In addition, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, an exhibition titled "Nostalgia, Longing for Hometown" will be held, gathering works expressing yearning for the Korean land.

The Gwacheon and Cheongju branches operate like semi-branches. Although the MMCA has four exhibition venues?Seoul, Deoksugung, Gwacheon, and Cheongju?it operates under a single organizational system without separate branch directors. Recently, the organizational structure was revised to establish the 'Gwacheon Branch Operations Department' and 'Cheongju Branch Operations Department,' with department heads overseeing curatorial, administrative, and facility tasks to strengthen autonomous management.

Furthermore, to resolve the saturation of storage space caused by the increase in collections, the museum is working to secure new storage facilities. It is currently pursuing plans to utilize the underground building of the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation’s currency headquarters in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, which is currently vacant, as a new storage facility. Securing this new storage is expected to partially alleviate the current storage saturation, which has reached approximately 90%.

Exhibition view of 'Ink Splendor: Modern and Contemporary Korean and Chinese Paintings' at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) China Art Museum. [Photo by National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]

The MMCA will expand international exchange projects with domestic and overseas researchers and artists to promote global discourse on Korean art and diversify international academic public programs. This year’s projects will begin with Alexander Alberro (2025, Columbia University professor), followed by renowned contemporary art scholars such as Hal Foster (2027, Princeton University professor). Meanwhile, the 'MMCA-Stedelijk Museum Joint Publication Project,' based on Korea-Netherlands joint research, will also be promoted.

At the Seoul branch, the second floor of the education building will house the 'MMCA Art Lab' (tentative name), a permanent educational space featuring a specialized exhibition room for children, archive exhibitions, and a family lounge.

The museum operates the Changdong and Goyang residencies to support active work by emerging and mid-career artists and organizes stages such as 'Young Explorations,' the 'Artist of the Year Award,' and solo exhibitions.

Major exhibitions this year include an international exhibition at the Seoul branch featuring Ron Mueck, the world-renowned hyperrealism sculptor born in Australia, holding his first solo exhibition in Asia. The Seoul Box at the Seoul branch will debut the 'MMCA x LG OLED Series,' showcasing large-scale installation works reflecting the spatial characteristics of the venue. Additionally, the Seoul branch will host the first museum exhibition since the passing of Kim Chang-yeol, known as the 'Water Drop Painter.'

Lee Daewon, "Persimmon," oil on canvas, 91×60.5cm. 1963. [Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]

At the Deoksugung branch, as part of the 'Rediscovery of Korean Modern Art' series, an exhibition titled 'Surrealism and Korean Modern Art' will be held, along with a retrospective commemorating the 20th anniversary of Lee Dae-won’s passing, marking the first such exhibition at the MMCA. The Cheongju branch will focus on postwar Modern Art Association artists with the exhibition 'New Companionship: Modern Art Association 1957-1960,' and a large-scale exhibition of Shin Sang-ho, a master of Korean contemporary ceramic art, will be held in Gwacheon.

At the end of this year, the Lee Kun-hee Collection will begin an overseas tour starting at the Smithsonian in the United States, followed by major museums in the U.S. and the U.K., under the title 'Late Chairman Lee Kun-hee Donation Overseas Touring Exhibition.' Additionally, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan normalization of diplomatic relations, the 'Korea-Japan Contemporary Art Exhibition,' an exchange exhibition with the Yokohama Museum of Art in Japan, will open in December in Japan and continue at the Gwacheon branch in May next year.