[In Review] Regrets on the 'Nationally Donated Lee Kun-hee Collection Museum'

Ham Hyeri / Journalist · Cultural Critic

The government has announced plans for utilizing the 23,181 cultural assets and artworks (21,693 pieces at the National Museum of Korea and 1,488 pieces at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) donated by the family of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee to the state last April. While over 30 local governments, including Busan and Daegu, have been competing to attract an art museum by citing regional and academic ties, Minister Hwang Hee of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the 'National Donation Lee Kun-hee Collection Utilization Plan' on the 7th.

The key points of the phased utilization plan, prepared after more than ten discussions by the 'National Donation Lee Kun-hee Collection Utilization Committee' (hereafter the Committee), composed of a dedicated team and related experts, are as follows: registration, investigation, research, and database construction of the donated items; public exhibition of major works through special exhibitions; and the promotion of building the 'National Donation Lee Kun-hee Collection Hall' (abbreviated as Lee Kun-hee Donation Hall), with two candidate sites in Seoul?Yongsan or Songhyeon-dong.

Local governments that had been fiercely competing to attract the museum at the cost of their regional lifeblood have become like a dog chasing a chicken. Complaints are soaring, calling it 'disregard for fairness,' 'regional discrimination,' and a decision made by a committee dominated by metropolitan area figures. Announcing the plan hastily in Seoul while ignoring procedures after proposing the construction of a national art museum is an irresponsible act. There are even rumors of establishing a branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Daegu to appease dissatisfaction. If this decision was made with the possibility of influencing next year’s presidential election in mind, will other regions remain silent? Time will tell. It is likely that branches of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art will soon be established nationwide.

However, a more serious issue to examine is the composition and operation method of the 'Lee Kun-hee Donation Hall.' The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s plan is to establish a separate donation hall that integrally holds and manages the approximately 23,000 donated items and promotes cross-disciplinary and cross-era investigation, research, exhibition, and exchange. Imagining this, it is truly a 'mixed rice bowl.' Although I have visited numerous museums and art galleries both domestically and abroad, there is no such place anywhere.

This also goes against the global trend of specialization and segmentation of museums and art galleries. Perhaps that is why it was vaguely named a 'donation hall,' neither a museum nor an art gallery. The family’s separate donations of works to five regional art museums?Gwangju Museum of Art, Jeonnam Provincial Museum of Art, Daegu Art Museum, Yanggu Park Soo-keun Art Museum, and Jeju Lee Jung-seop Art Museum?were decisions based on the context of the artists and works. Similarly, considering the characteristics and roles of institutions, the division of donations between the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art was deliberate, so it is unclear why there is an intention to forcibly consolidate them.

Among the artifacts donated to the National Museum of Korea, 12,000 pieces consist of old documents and books, which are more for research than exhibition. Although they may not attract general public interest, they hold value as historical materials that connect with existing collections. The plan is to utilize specialized personnel from the National Museum of Korea and the National Library of Korea, but the structure makes continuous research difficult. Regarding paintings, the donated works cover everything from Korean traditional art to Western Impressionism, making it difficult to secure expertise.

The art community, which had been urging the establishment of a National Museum of Modern Art based on the Lee Kun-hee collection, has reacted with disbelief at the Ministry’s mixed and unfocused donation hall plan. Jeong Jun-mo, former curator of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and a leading figure in the 'Group for the Establishment of the National Museum of Modern Art,' sharply criticized, saying, “Creating a new hybrid institution that transcends the boundaries between museums and art galleries is a reckless experiment.”

A personal collection is, by definition, subject to the tastes of the spender, so no one should interfere with what to buy or not. However, now that the managing entity is the state, changes are appropriate and necessary. Organizing and researching the collection contextually by era, artist, and genre, and presenting it through permanent or special exhibitions, expands 'the public’s opportunity to enjoy culture' and respects the purpose of the national donation while spreading its value.

Let us not rush and return to the starting point. The Samsung family has operated the Samsung Museum of Art 'Leeum' in Hannam-dong, Seoul, since 2004, alongside the Ho-Am Art Museum. It is a museum that foreign art world figures always visit when they come to Seoul. The vastness of the collection was a source of pride for this museum. Nevertheless, the reasons and significance behind donating over 23,000 pieces to the state must be carefully examined, and decisions on what to do, where, and how must be made prudently.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.