National Museum of Asian Art Presents “Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared” First U.S. Exhibition of Masterpieces From the Lee Kun-Hee Collection

This press release was originally published on the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art’s press site.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art will present “Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared” this fall, the first U.S. exhibition of significant works from the renowned Lee Kun-Hee Collection. On view now through Feb. 1, 2026, “Korean Treasures” features over 200 works, including a dozen National Treasures designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, the exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.

Donated to the Republic of Korea in 2021 by the family of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-Hee, the collection reflects more than 70 years of generational collecting and comprises more than 23,000 works, a testament to a decades-long commitment to preserving and sharing Korea’s artistic legacy and cultural heritage. “Korean Treasures” presents a remarkable selection from the collection to American audiences for the first time, alongside additional loans from the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, Korea, shown exclusively in Washington, D.C. This exhibition is co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, and draws from the National Bequest of Lee Kun-Hee’s Collection.

“‘Korean Treasures’ is a rare and extraordinary opportunity to share the richness and depth of Korean art with U.S. audiences,” said Chase F. Robinson, director of the National Museum of Asian Art. “From Buddhist sculpture of the Three Kingdoms period to Joseon dynasty furnishings created for the studies of the scholar-gentry and bold 20th-century paintings, these works span centuries of innovation and creativity. Lee Kun-Hee was a visionary collector, and the gift made by his family to Korea stands as one of the most significant in the country’s history. As a museum founded through a similar transformative act of generosity, we are honored to share this remarkable story of cultural legacy on the international stage.”

Arranged thematically across 10 galleries, the exhibition explores the character of Korean art and culture with a mixture of pre-modern and 20th-century works, highlighting the depth and diversity of Korea’s artistic legacy. It opens and closes with a reflection on the practice of collecting in Korea, drawing inspiration from the tradition of chaekgado—vibrant painted screens depicting scholarly books and treasured objects. These galleries illustrate how historical collectors acquired, appreciated and displayed their possessions, evoking parallels to cabinets of curiosity. Among the works on view is a painted 19th-century chaekgado featuring rare books, scholarly implements, antiques and curiosities imported from China.

Other sections illuminate key subjects in Korea’s cultural history, from the values of the Neo-Confucian elite and the visual splendor of the royal court to the enduring legacy of Buddhist art and bold experiments in modern painting. Highlights include:

• Sarangbang: Scholars at Home: Spanning centuries of cultural evolution, several sections of the exhibition center on the Joseon Dynasty (1392‒1910). A key setting for Neo-Confucian practice during this period was the sarangbang, or scholar’s study. Modest yet meticulously crafted furnishings are on view alongside writing tools, portraits of accomplished scholar-officials and accounts of virtuous men and women, reflecting the tastes and morals of Korea’s scholarly elites.
• Art at the Joseon Court: The ideals, aesthetics and patronage systems of the Joseon court played a pivotal role in shaping Korean culture. Early royal palaces such as Gyeongbokgung (built in 1395) and Changdeokgung (started in 1404) are depicted in artworks featured in this gallery. Their refined courtly culture is evident in a display of furniture, ceramics, ceremonial objects and paintings.
• Buddhism and its legacy: Immersing visitors in 1,500 years of Buddhist art, this gallery explores how Buddhism endured in Korea after arriving from China. Transmitted Buddhist imagery inspired early artworks crafted for local preferences. Sacred texts and ritual objects on view provide a holistic understanding of Buddhist devotional practice, while later Joseon-era altar paintings depict events in the Buddha’s life and the array of Buddhist deities worshipped in Korea.
• Transcending tradition: By the 20th century, traditional modes of appreciating art—once centered in intimate settings like the scholar’s study—had begun to shift. Pioneering artists such as Lee Sangbeom (1897–1972), Park Saengkwang (1904–1985) and Lee Ungno (1904–1989) sought new visual languages by merging Western and Korean concepts and subject matter. By the 1950s, many artists’ radical approaches began to redefine Korean painting in a modernizing world.

“This exhibition features artworks from the collection generously donated by the family of the late Chairman Lee Kun-Hee,” said You Hong June, president of the National Museum of Korea. “Spanning the Three Kingdoms period to the early 20th century, the selected works illuminate the cultural roots of what is today known globally as K-culture. We hope that audiences, particularly those who are beginning to take an interest in Korean popular culture, may find in this exhibition an opportunity to explore its historical origins and enduring vitality, thus bridging past and present.”

“The upcoming exhibition in Washington is generating great anticipation through its curatorial vision that bridges tradition with modern and contemporary art, enriched by the collaboration on the timeless Lee Kun-hee Collection,” said Kim Sunghee, director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. “I believe this exhibition will serve as a meaningful platform to reflect how Korean culture and art, while deeply rooted in tradition, are evolving toward new directions that embrace historical diversity and hybridity.”

“The Lee family’s generous contribution reflects a profound commitment to sharing Korea’s cultural heritage with the world,” said Yoonie Joung, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America. “We are honored to present this exhibition, which not only showcases the richness and accomplishments of Korean art, but also serves as a meaningful platform to share Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee and his family’s enduring philosophy of social giving with the American public.”

Related to the exhibition, a major international symposium dedicated to the topic of collecting Korean objects and paintings is planned for Jan. 22–23, 2026. Distinguished scholars from the United States, the United Kingdom and Korea will discuss topics including the historical development of collecting in Korea, the rise of the Korean art market, the formation of national collections and the collecting of Korean art abroad. The exhibition will also be accompanied by a major catalog distributed by Yale University Press in fall 2025.

Following its premiere in Washington, D.C., the exhibition will travel to the Art Institute of Chicago where it will be on view March 7, 2026, through July 5, 2026. Both venues feature a unique curatorial approach, highlighting different selections from the Lee Kun-Hee Collection. The presentation at the National Museum of Asian Art is curated by Keith Wilson, the June and Simon K.C. Li curator of Chinese art; Carol Huh, associate curator of contemporary Asian art; and Sunwoo Hwang, the Korea Foundation assistant curator of Korean art and culture. The lead curator for “Korean Treasures” is Yeonsoo Chee, the Korea Foundation associate curator of Korean art at the Art Institute of Chicago.