MMCA Cheongju unlocks its vault of international art

Arts & Design

Published: 02 Feb. 2022, 16:08

MMCA Cheongju unlocks its vault of international art

“Girl on a Bed 3” (1973) by George Segal - purchased by the museum in 1994 [MMCA]

CHEONGJU, North Chungcheong — Since opening its doors in 1969, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) has strived for decades to collect a wide range of international artworks.

An exhibition at MMCA’s Cheongju branch titled “To the World through Art” displays the museum’s international art collection from the 1970s to the 2000s. A total of 104 artworks from 96 international artists are on display. Most have been stuck in the museum’s storage for over 30 years and more than half are being revealed to the public for the very first time.

The MMCA cites the 1988 Summer Olympics, which was held in Seoul, as its biggest driving force in acquiring international artworks. As it was one of the country’s biggest global events, Korea was immersed in “globalizing” all aspects of the country at the time — and art was no exception.

″KAL″ (1986) by Olivier Mosset - donated by the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee in 1988 [SHIN MIN-HEE]

Around the 1980s, local newspapers also started to point out the MMCA’s lack of international artworks in its collection. A Kyunghyang Shinmun article dated March 28, 1979 wrote “compared with foreign art museums, the status of donated works in Korea’s museum is embarrassing.” The Chosun Ilbo wrote on Nov. 15, 1984 that “the special exhibition room [at the MMCA’s Gwacheon branch], which will display the work of foreign artists, is currently empty.”

The collection from the 1970s to 2000 is meaningful in that it aided the MMCA to start its study on modern art, curator Lee Hyo-jin said in a press conference at the MMCA Cheongju branch on Jan. 19. As the Cheongju branch is better known as a storage center for artworks, the museum wanted to present the public with selected pieces that are “interesting” from the collection.

The exhibition was likened to “time travel” since actual traveling has become more difficult due to the pandemic and these artworks offer a glimpse into the past.

The exhibition is divided into five parts: the first gives a brief overview of international artists that have reflected their perspectives on Korea, and the other four sections display artworks by their time of obtainment, from the 1970s to present day.

“Light Sail #2” (1979) by Richard Franklin - donated by the artist in 1979 [MMCA]

The artworks in the first section have ties to Korean art — like 83-year-old American artist Richard Franklin’s “Light Sail #2” (1979), in which Franklin used hanji, or Korean traditional paper, with bamboo and threads to express a Korean sentiment. Franklin previously had a solo exhibition at the MMCA’s Deoksu Palace branch in 1979 and afterward donated this piece to the museum.

Perhaps the most renowned figure in Korean art’s advancement into the global scene is Nam June Paik (1932-2006), dubbed the pioneer of video art. In the 1980s, Paik played a huge role in arranging and negotiating the sales of many different pieces, including two 1985 self-portraits by Andy Warhol (1928-87), and pieces by American painter Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) and Bulgarian artist Christo Javacheff (1935-2020).

″Flowers″ (undated) by Paul Aizpiri - donated by French critic Pierre Wicart in 1986 [MMCA]

Print works that were donated to the MMCA in the 1980s are highlighted in the third part of “To the World through Art,” especially ones from the Seoul International Print Biennale. The first (1970) to fourth (1983) editions of the biennale were hosted by the MMCA. “Flower” (unknown) and “Still Life” (1955) by French artist Paul Aizpiri (1919-2016) are on display.

“The public was more familiar with print works during that time,” curator Lee explained. “It was easier to transport prints [than paintings or sculptures] into the country and there were many local exhibitions that displayed print copies of famous international artworks.”

″Wind from East IVA + Wind from East IVB” (1987) by Peter Knapp - donated by the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee in 1988 [MMCA]

During the 1988 Summer Olympics, the MMCA hosted an art exhibition at the Olympiad of Art, which was a side event of the Olympics. The museum received a donation of 39 sculptures and 62 large-scale paintings from the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee in 1988, and 16 of them are being showcased for the first time in more than 30 years.

Some examples are 91-year-old Swiss photographer Peter Knapp’s plexiglass piece “Wind from East IVA + Wind from East IVB” (1987), 78-year-old Swiss artist Olivier Mosset’s acrylic painting “KAL” (1986) and 71-year-old Australian artist Jenny Watson’s painting “Work for Museum” (1987).

While up until the 1980s print works like lithography were the main focus, the MMCA expanded its range of artworks in the 1990s to include neo-expressionist pieces by 84-year-old Austrian artist Georg Baelitz. At the MMCA’s Cheongju branch is American artist George Segal’s (1924-2000) plaster sculpture “Girl on a Bed 3” (1973), which was purchased in 1994.

Two pieces of the ″Self-portrait″ series (1985) by Andy Warhol - purchased by the MMCA in 1987 with the help of the famous Nam June Paik [SHIN MIN-HEE]

The MMCA went through a rather tumultuous process to possess these international artworks and has conducted in-depth research on them. After years of staying in the vault, they are seeing light once again on the walls of the museum.

“To the World through Art” ends June 12. The MMCA’s Cheongju branch is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The exhibition is free to all.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]