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Impressionist exhibition brings rare paintings to Korea for first time

Published: 24 Feb. 2025, 16:12

SHIN MIN-HEE
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"Water Lilies (Nymphéas)" (1908) by Claude Monet [WORCESTER ART MUSEUM]

Some 50 Impressionist paintings that influenced the expansion of the 19th-century art movement from Europe to the United States are being displayed in Korea for the first time. They’re part of a collection owned by the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts, which embraced the then-unfamiliar Impressionism movement relatively earlier than other institutions in North America.

The Worcester Art Museum is the first museum in the world to purchase a Monet painting of water lilies in 1910. Monet is a representative figure of Impressionism, which was a movement based in Paris and was defined by spontaneity and accurate depictions of outdoor landscapes using short brushstrokes.

"The Breakfast Room, Winter Morning, New York" (1911) by Childe Hassam [WORCESTER ART MUSEUM]

The collection is on view at the ALT.1 exhibition space inside The Hyundai Seoul in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul.

The exhibition features the works of French artists like Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne and Paul Signac, but also noticeably from American artists like Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer. Although the latter artists didn't gain as much recognition as their European counterparts, it’s worth noting that they were celebrated in the United States.

These artists studied in Paris, adopting Impressionist styles, then returned to their homelands. Their versions of Impressionist paintings did not strictly adhere to the rules but were reinterpreted through different brushstrokes or colors.

The Ten was an artist’s group that held multiple exhibitions on Impressionism for two decades, attributing to the successful spread of the movement in the United States. The group was pioneered by Hassam, John Henry Twachtman and J. Alden Weir.

"Golfe Juan" (1896) by Paul Signac [WORCESTER ART MUSEUM]

Toward the late 19th century, other movements emerged that branched out from traditional Impressionism, such as Post-Impressionism, which used more vivid colors and abstract techniques. Around the same time, American Tonalism also came to light, putting emphasis on muted colors and shadows, in contrast to Impressionism’s vibrant palette.

“Frontiers of Impressionism: Paintings from the Worcester Art Museum” continues until May 26. The exhibition is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Mondays to Thursdays and until 8:30 p.m. on Fridays and weekends. General admission is 20,000 won ($13.80).

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]