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Coming to LACMA: Arts and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty

June 6, 2014

The first comprehensive U.S. exhibition to begin on June 29

The first comprehensive U.S. exhibition of traditional Korean art from the Joseon dynasty is coming to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on June 29.

The exhibition, titled “Treasures from Korea: Arts and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty, 1392-1910,” will feature 150 objects, among them national treasures on loan from the National Museum of Korea and shown for the first time in the United States.

“’Treasures from Korea’ is an opportunity to share some of the highest artistic achievements in Korean history with the diverse audiences of Southern California,” said LACMA CEO Michael Govan in a statement released by the museum. “This exhibition especially resonates here in Los Angeles, home to the largest Korean and Korean American community outside of Korea.”

Painted screens, scrolls, furnishings, costumes, accessories and ritual wares that showcase the dynasty and its religious beliefs, society, royalty and transition to modern times will be on display.

In 2013, American artworks were sent to Korea for an exhibition called “Art Across America” by four U.S. institutions, including LACMA, in a collaborative exchange between the two countries. This exhibition will be the second exchange, LACMA said.

The Joseon dynasty was the longest in Korean history and ran for 518 years with 27 kings.

According to LACMA, in addition to an illustrated catalogue published by Yale University Press, the exhibition will have five themes: the king and his court, Joseon society, rituals and values, Joseon Buddhism and Joseon in modern times.

“Treasures from Korea,” officially sponsored by The Korea Times, will be located on the second level of the Hammer Building and run through Sept. 28.