Following successful exhibitions in Washington D.C. and Chicago, it marks the European stop of the collection’s international tour. It is also the first major special presentation of Korean art at the British Museum in more than 40 years. The exhibition runs from 1 October 2026 to 31 Januanry 2027, and is being held at the Joseph Hotung Great Court Gallery.

“Korea,” spanning over two millennia, connect the history of Korean art in a unified narrative to reveal how Korea’s unique aesthetic values and artistic achievements have continued to be built upon and reinterpreted over many generations.

The exhibition, drawn from over 23,000 artworks from the National Bequest of the Lee Kun-Hee Collection in 2021, is organised by the British Museum, the National Museum of Korea, and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea.

At the gala, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee reflected on the Lee family’s multigenerational commitment to preserving Korea’s cultural heritage and sharing it with audiences around the world. Members of the family, including Hong Ra-Hee, Director Emerita of the Leeum Museum of Art, Lee Boo-jin, President & CEO of Hotel Shilla, and Lee Seo-hyun, President of Samsung C&T, also attended the event.

“For generations, my family has held a guiding principle that art and culture should be preserved and shared,” Executive Chairman Lee said. “I hope this exhibition offers a gateway into Korean culture, spanning two thousand years of creativity and heritage, and that it will let everyone see Korea a little differently — for its beauty, its depth and its resilience.”

At the reception held before the gala dinner, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal graced the opening of the exhibition.

Among the 240 guests were the Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey MP, Minister for Artificial Intelligence Kanishka Narayan MP, former Deputy Prime Minister Sir Oliver Dowden, former Trade Minister Sir Greg Hands, former Culture Secretary Sir John Whittingdale, Trade Envoy to the Republic of Korea John Slinger, Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Chair of the Republic of Korea All-Party Parliamentary Group Sir Ed Davey, and Dr. Ben Spencer, Vice Chair of the Republic of Korea All-Party Parliamentary Group.

George Osborne, Chair of the British Museum, said, “We are thrilled here at the British Museum to be hosting this incredible exhibition. The Lee family’s contribution to our shared cultural heritage helps us understand and interpret the past, so that we may understand the future.”

Maurice Lévy, Chairman Emeritus of Publicis Groupe, said that the exhibition is “not simply about objects from witnesses of a great past of Korea. They are evidence of a culture that has always valued craftsmanship, imagination, discipline, and excellence. Sharing those treasures with the world speaks volume about the values and the generosity of the Lee family. They understood, generation after generation, that looking forward does not mean forgetting where you come from.”

Kanishka Narayan, Minister for Artificial Intelligence, said, “The UK and Korea work closely on technology and innovation, but there is so much more to our relationship. Korea’s art and culture are admired around the world, and this exhibition gives people in Britain a chance to explore its extraordinary artistic heritage. I’m grateful to Samsung for bringing this remarkable collection to London and sharing it with audiences here.”

Kim Heung-chong, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the U.K., commented that “it is particularly meaningful for the British Museum to open this exhibition of artworks showcasing two thousand years of Korean history, at a time when K-culture is enjoying global recognition,” and thanked Executive Chairman Lee for making the exhibition possible.

Business leaders attending the gala included those from BT Group, Vodafone, Sainsbury’s, and Standard Chartered. From academia, representatives from the University of Oxford and Imperial College London were in attendance, while the cultural sector was represented by the British Museum, Tate Modern, the V&A, and Lisson Gallery, alongside contemporary artist Marc Quinn.

Samsung’s business partners from the semiconductor industry, including Christophe Fouquet, CEO of ASML, Kai Beckmann, CEO of Merck, Andreas Pecher, CEO of ZEISS, and Patrick Vandenameele, CEO of imec, were among other notable attendees.

Chairman Lee Expresses Gratitude to Korean War Veterans

During his remarks, Executive Chairman Lee took a special moment to honor the three Korean War veterans in attendance, including Mike Roe. He also thanked The Princess Royal, recognising her visit to Korea in July 2026 during which she honored the veterans. Reflecting on more than 140 years of ties between Korea and the U.K., he highlighted Samsung’s 80-year business relationship with the country and emphasised that the U.K. has served as the hub for its European operations for over five decades.

The London exhibition features 100 masterpieces, including 10 National Treasures and 13 Treasures of Korea, with more than twenty pieces being revealed for the first time internationally.

Among the newly presented works are the National Treasures “Bronze Artifacts from Bisan-dong, Daegu” and “Bronze Rattles,” as well as “Celadon Incense Burner with Girin-shaped Lid.” Among the modern and contemporary works, Nam June Paik’s “Brahms,” Lee Jungseop’s “Bound People,” and Park Rehyun’s “Woman” will also be shown for the first time.

The Lee family’s commitment to preserving and sharing Korea’s culture spans three generations. It began with Samsung founder Lee Byung-Chull, who built the foundation of the collection and believed that cultural heritage should be passed on to future generations.

His son, the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-Hee carried this legacy forward, building and preserving the collection over decades. He viewed cultural heritage not simply as something to be owned, but as something to be protected and preserved. Director Emerita Hong Ra-Hee also played a crucial role in expanding and developing the collection to encompass both ancient and modern works.

The Lee Kun-Hee Collection, now a national cultural asset, is reaching audiences in major cities around the world from Washington D.C. to Chicago to London, enabling them to experience and appreciate the value and historical significance of Korean culture, thereby elevating Korea’s global standing.

The collection’s global tour began in November 2025 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington D.C., attracting about 80,000 visitors to become the museum’s largest special exhibition in the past 10 years. The collection then traveled to the Art Institute of Chicago, where it drew approximately 115,000 visitors, highlighting the strong interest in the rich history of Korean arts and culture.

Samsung remains committed to introducing Korean cultural heritage to the world while continuing to expand its global business network to support future growth and innovation.

Samsung Electronics and the National Museum of Korea today announced that they have made 20 carefully selected works from the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-Hee’s renowned art collection available on Samsung Art Store. A larger selection of the collection’s original pieces is currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C.

High-resolution digital versions of the selected works — representative masterpieces of Korean art — can be viewed on Samsung Art Store’s National Museum of Korea page. Through this initiative, Samsung and the National Museum of Korea aim to introduce the richness and excellence of traditional Korean art to Samsung consumers worldwide.

Samsung TVs Offer a Korean Art Masterpiece Experience in High-Resolution 

The 20 artworks selected from the Lee Kun-Hee Collection are now viewable in stunning 4K resolution on Samsung TVs, offering users a vivid digital encounter with the masterpieces. A few featured works worth highlighting in Samsung Art Store include:

• “Clearing After Rain on Mount Inwang” (National Treasure No. 216) – A representative example of true-view landscape painting
• “Ten Symbols of Longevity” – A piece that symbolizes wishes for health and long life
• “Sound of Autumn” – An autumnal-themed piece by Kim Hongdo, a leading painter of the Joseon Dynasty
• “Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks” – A royal court painting symbolizing the Joseon monarchy

Additional works include “Banquet of King Yeongjo and Officials in Gyeonghyeondang Hall,” “Butterflies,” “Five Emperors of the Five Cardinal Directions,” “Four Underworld Messengers,” “The Flower Garland Sutra (Avatamsaka Sutra), Vol. 15,” “Scholar’s Accoutrements in a Bookcase,” “Gathering of Families with Multiple Generations of Government Service,” “Gudambong Peaks,” “Panels of a Man’s Ideal Life,” “Royal Banquet in the Imjin Year,” “Sea, Cranes, and Sacred Peaches,” “Tripitaka Bodhisattvas,” “Viewing the Capital From the Seobinggo Icehouse,” “The King Views the Dredging,” “Tiger and Magpie” and “Wrestling in the Afternoon,” all of which represent Korea’s artistic heritage.

Meanwhile, the National Museum of Korea is presenting the special exhibition “Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. The exhibition showcases carefully selected works from the late Chairman Lee’s donated collection that embody the essence of Korean art.

The exhibition features more than 200 works including seven National Treasures, spanning 1,500 years of Korean creativity. Notably, it is the largest special exhibition of Korean art held in North America in over 40 years, drawing significant attention across Washington, as well as other regions of the United States.

The National Museum of Korea plans to continue the international tour of the Lee Kun-Hee Collection with exhibitions at:

• The Art Institute of Chicago (March–July 2026)
• The British Museum (Sept. 2026–Jan. 2027)

The 20 works released on Samsung Art Store will remain available for public viewing until January 2027, when the international touring exhibitions conclude.

The Lee Family Continues the Late Chairman’s Legacy Through Cultural Contributions 

“Even if collecting and preserving cultural heritage requires tremendous cost and time, I believe it is our duty to safeguard the future of our culture,” the late Chairman Lee once stated, demonstrating his devotion to cultural preservation.

Inheriting this philosophy of cultural contribution, Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee and other members of the Lee family donated more than 23,000 artworks from the late Chairman’s lifelong personal collection in April 2021 to institutions such as the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Since then, the Lee Kun-Hee Collection has toured museums around Korea, sparking widespread public interest in historical Korean art. It has been widely credited with expanding public access to culture and elevating the stature of Korea’s museums. Now, it is reaching global audiences through digital and physical exhibitions.

Samsung Art Store: High-Resolution Access to Collections From World-Class Museums

Available to users of Samsung’s The Frame, The Frame Pro and QLED models, Samsung Art Store is a subscription-based art service exclusively for Samsung TVs. More than 4,000 artworks in 4K resolution from over 50 renowned museums — including the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and Tate — as well as works by hundreds of artists worldwide, are available on Samsung Art Store. The service offers Samsung TV users in 117 countries a gallery-like viewing experience at home. Since 2024, Samsung has also served as the official display partner of Art Basel, the world’s largest art fair, showcasing works by contemporary artists featured at Art Basel through Samsung Art Store.

For more information, visit: https://news.samsung.com/my/