After months of renovations, the Art Institute of Chicago debuted its brand-new Korean art exhibit, expanding the scale and scope of its displayed artwork. This follows a nationwide increase in interest in Korean art and culture among museum curators and visitors alike.
While Korean culture is now on people’s radar, this was not always the case. When compared to neighboring China and Japan, Korea was often forgotten, especially in terms of Korean art, which was missing from many American museums. At the Art Institute of Chicago, Korean art was relegated to a small space dedicated primarily to ceramics. A couple of display cases showcased moon jars, plain white ceramics with a dynamic round shape. Naturally, many visitors overlooked this small section of Korean art since the museum has nearly a million square feet to explore. However, Korean art is gaining prominence in Chicago and across the country.
On November 1, 2024, the Art Institute of Chicago unveiled its new gallery for Korean art, its first space dedicated solely to Korean culture. Notably, the museum tripled the exhibition space available and now displays 60 artworks. Yeonsoo Chee, Associate Curator of Korean Art at the Art Institute of Chicago told the Korea Herald that the museum now has, “space for items other than ceramics. Metal and wooden artifacts are finally getting the light of day from our vault.” As a result, viewers get a more complete view of Korean art history.
Korean Art in Chicago
Despite being 6,527 miles away from Seoul, Chicago has a long history of Korean art collection and appreciation. In 1893, Chicago hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition and invited the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910) to create a pavilion representing Korea. Visitors were impressed by the colorful hanbok, or traditional Korean clothing. Then, the Art Institute of Chicago started adding Korean art to its collection in the 1920s. Over the years, the museum amassed 300 works spanning 2,000 years of history.
The new Korean art gallery was intentionally placed between existing Chinese and Japanese art galleries, reflecting the complex cultural relationship between Korea and its neighbors, but also inadvertently highlighting disparities in the museum’s collections. The museum has approximately 3,900 Chinese artworks and 13,900 Japanese artworks. While all these works are not on display at once, visitors can easily perceive the difference in gallery sizes between China, Japan, and Korea.
Deep Dive into Korean Art
Despite the gallery’s small size, this new installation provides a richer peek into Korean culture. Unlike the previous exhibition space which presented ceramics with very little context, the curators embraced a thematic approach that groups similar objects and explains the historical and cultural context. For example, one display case focuses on Buddhism and displays various religious objects. At the center, there is an 18th-century Buddha statue that has not been displayed since it was acquired by the museum.
Various Celadon Ceramics from Goryeo Dynasty (Photo Courtesy of Daniel Salgado-Alvarez, East-West Center)
Another display case describes tea culture in the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) and showcases various celadon ceramics. For visitors who are less familiar with Korean art, signage explains the deep symbolism of the ceramic pieces and how these decorations are said to bring good luck. The exhibit is sure to teach visitors something new about Korea’s rich history and culture.
Riding the Korean Wave
The museum’s new Korea gallery came at the perfect time to take advantage of Hallyu, or the Korean wave. This is the global craze for Korean pop culture, primarily music, movies, television shows, and beauty products. In the US alone, there were an estimated 16.7 million so-called Hallyu fans in 2022. Unsurprisingly, there are now several Korean cultural events in places like Georgia, New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, and more.
However, the interest in Korea transcends popular culture. From 2009 to 2016, enrollment in Korean language classes grew by 78%, totaling about 15,000 college students in the US. In 2023, Korean became the 6th most learned language on the popular language learning app Duolingo. On a visit to the exhibition, East-West Center Young Professional Daniel Salgado-Alvarez overheard many visitors discussing their interest in Korean dramas or music while viewing the artworks.
US-South Korea Partnership
Although the Art Institute of Chicago already has an impressive collection of Korean art, this exhibit would not be possible without support from the Korean government. For the grand opening, the National Museum of Korea loaned several artifacts including a golden crown, pendant, and belt from the Silla Kingdom.
Gold Crown and Pendants from Seobongchong Tomb, Three Kingdoms Period, Silla Kingdom (Photo Courtesy of Daniel Salgado-Alvarez, East-West Center)
These golden artifacts are considered national treasures by the Korean government because of their unique beauty and rarity. “Only four similar crowns have ever been excavated,” Korean art curator Chee told the Chicago Sun-Times. Since these objects are on loan until February 3, 2025, museumgoers crowd around the crown to see the intricate goldwork and carved jade adornments. This crown is a must-see artwork for those visiting Chicago in the next few months.
K-Museums: The Expansion of Korean Culture in US Museums
Museums across the country have opened special exhibitions on Korean art thanks to funding from the Korean government and businesses. In 2023, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City unveiled “Lineages: Korean Art at the Met,” an exhibition supported by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Similarly, the Korean government sponsored a show of Chosun Dynasty paintings at The San Diego Museum of Art.
Pre-modern Korean art is not the only art embraced by American museums. In 2024, The Guggenheim in New York City hosted an exhibit on experimental Korean artists of the 1960s-1970s, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art highlighted contemporary Korean artists in their start-of-the-year show. Moreover, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston launched a five-month exhibition called “Hallyu! The Korean Wave” on March 24, 2024. This was the first major exhibition in the US to explore South Korean pop culture. Some highlights of the display were costumes from the hit show Squid Game, the bathroom set from the movie Parasite, and memorabilia from various K-Pop concerts.
Currently, Korean art fans can visit galleries across the country, such as the permanent exhibitions of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston or the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which is the largest Korean art gallery in the US. For those interested in special exhibitions, the Denver Art Museum is displaying Buncheong ceramics from the 15th century until December 7, 2025.
The Future of Korean Art
The Art Institute of Chicago’s gallery opening is just the first step in a plan to promote Korean art. In the coming years, display cases will be swapped out to showcase different artworks. Furthermore, the museum’s Korean art curator plans to welcome a traveling exhibition called “Korean National Treasures: 2000 Years of Art” from March 7 to July 5, 2026. This exhibition will display around 200 objects donated by the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee. The exhibition will also visit the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in November 2025.
With the rising prominence of Korean culture around the world, now is the ideal time for museum curators to expand their Korean art exhibits. Thanks to public and private partnerships between the US and South Korea, Korean art is slowly finding its place in American museums. Hopefully one day these exhibits can fully represent the diverse and dynamic artistic traditions of Korea.
Daniel Salgado-Alvarez is a Fall 2024 Young Professional at the East-West Center. He is a recent graduate from Harvard University, where he studied sociology and East Asian studies.