The Korean Cultural Center Washington, DC (KCCDC) is set to begin the third installment of its "Korean Art in the US" by presenting a virtual tour of "Rediscovering Korea's Past," starting on February 26, 6:00 p.m. local time.
This new opportunity from the KCCDC to revisit Korean artworks in US museums will take viewers across the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC. The virtual tour in the Korean Gallery will definitely feature the culturally significant Korean celadon - ancient ceramic works from the Goryeo period, mostly defined by their greenish color, and are regarded as among the finest pieces in the world.
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The tour will be guided by Sunwoo Hwang, the Korean Program Associate at the Freer and Sackler. As the first KCCDC offering for its Korean Art in the US for 2021 will feature exquisite works from their current exhibit, which contains celadon ceramics from the Goryeo Dynasty (918 to 1392). Most of the items featured on the exhibit were personally curated by Charles Lang Freer (1854 - 1919), the founder of the Freer Gallery of Art. He collected the celadon wares at the turn of the twentieth century, driven by the influx of global interest toward Korean Art on the peninsula, as well as in parts of America, Europe, and Japan.
When the Freer Gallery opened its doors to the public in 1923, it immediately became notable for its unparalleled quality and historical significance. Charles Lang Freer was first attracted to Korean Art after witnessing ten bowls from the Joseon Dynasty (1392 - 1897). From these Korean bowls, his art collection later grew to cover the ancient Goryeo Dynasty celadon pieces, as well as rare specimens of classical Buddhist paintings.
Now, the Freer Gallery contains about 773 antiquities in its Korean collection, including close to 300 ceramic pieces throughout various parts of Korean History - the Three Kingdoms, Unified Silla, Goryeo, and up to the Joseon periods.
While the museum is temporarily closed to visitors, as a part of public health precautions due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the virtual tour will offer an opportunity for people to view these exquisite pieces. In this time of limited travel and in-person activities, Korean Art in the US will be creating a new experience in appreciating the richness and diversity of Korean traditional and contemporary art in US museums.
The event, Korean Art in the US, will be available on the KCCDC social media channels - YouTube, Instagram - as well as on the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery YouTube channel.
