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| ▲ This photo, provided by Samsung Foundation of Culture. shows The Leeum. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲This photo, provided by Samsung Foundation of Culture. shows The Leeum's lobby. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Sep. 27 (Yonhap) -- Samsung museums including the Leeum and Ho-Am Art Museum, which have closed their doors due to situation such as the COVID-19 pandemic, will reopen their gates in October.
The Leeum and Ho-Am Art Museum will resume operation from Oct. 8, according to Samsung Foundation of Culture Monday.
The galleries will greet the visitors in about 1 year and 7 months after having gone into break on Feb. 25, 2020. During the break, they have newly decorated the buildings re-modeling the interiors.
The Leeum will convert its permanent exhibition introducing the Korean traditional art and contemporary artworks from Korea and overseas, into a new theme and will put unrevealed productions on display.
Special exhibition “Human, Seven Questions” (translated) to celebrate the reopening, will look back on humans as the base of art and review the meaning of humans during periods of crisis and disasters.
Parts of the chairman’s famillie’s possessions from the “Lee Kun-hee Collection” such as sculpture of Alberto Giacometti, the master of contemporary arts will be included in the exhibition. Artworks of Korean artists such as Lee Bul, Jung Yeon-doo will be on display as well.
The Leeum explained that they have renewed the construction and design of the MI and the lounge and have upgraded digital services such as the media wall and digital guide.
Ho-Am Art Museum will hold a special exhibition “Metallurgy: Brilliant Wisdom” (translated) for reopening. It is a fusion exhibition to review the history tradition and contemporary Korean art through metal craftworks.
The Leeum, opened in Hannam-dong Yongsan-gu Seoul City in 2004, has given a large impact on domestic art scene as Korea’s best privately-managed gallery.
Since the retirement of Hong Ra-hee former director of the museum and wife to late Lee Kun-hee chairman of Samsung, after the arrest of Lee Jae-yong vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics in 2017, The Leeum has technically been in break opening only the permanent exhibitions.
Although, the gallery previously tried to reopen in March, the dates were pushed back due to the delay in construction and re-spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the delay, the families of late Lee Kun-hee chairman, contributed some of “Lee Kun-hee Collection” including a large sum of Korean and foreign masterpieces in April. Lee Jae-yong vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics was paroled in August.
Lee Seo-hyun chief director of the Samsung Welfare Foundation who is also the head of the advisory board at The Leeum will lead the reopened the gallery, the art scene predicted.
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