Visiting Hoam Art Museum, Cherishing the Love of Samsung's Three Generations... 'Not Belonging to Anyone, but Everyone's Heritage'

'Like a Lotus Unstained by Mud' Exhibition
General Visitors and Press Gather
Admiring Baekje's 'Gilt-bronze Avalokitesvara Standing Statue'
Goryeo's 'Najeon Gukdangcho Patterned Lacquer Box' Also Popular
'Not Anyone's, But Everyone's Heritage'

"From the perspective of specialists, this is a dream piece. The 'smile' is not just on the lips but appears throughout the entire expression. After the Unified Silla period, we are familiar with the 'Seokguram'?that is, the solemn Tang Dynasty style Buddha statues. However, this work is a rare masterpiece created only in Baekje just before that."

The gilt-bronze standing statue of Avalokiteshvara from Baekje, exhibited at the special exhibition "Like a Lotus Unstained by Mud," held at Hoam Art Museum until the 16th. This mid-7th century Baekje artifact was first publicly displayed in Korea after liberation in 1945. It is the most notable piece in the entire exhibition.
[Photo by Samsung Electronics]

On the 4th, around ten general visitors gathered in small groups taking photos near the 'Gilt-bronze Standing Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva' displayed on the first floor of the Buddhist Art Special Exhibition "Like a Lotus Untainted by Mud" held at Hoam Art Museum in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Middle-aged couples and middle-aged women were noticeable among the visitors. As crowds gathered to photograph the gilt-bronze Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, silhouettes of people blended beyond the glass, and some waited patiently to take proper photos. This scene demonstrated that the Hoam Museum's artworks belong to 'everyone,' not to any individual.

The special exhibition featured a large number of masterpieces from the Three Kingdoms, Goryeo, and Joseon periods, including the gilt-bronze Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, 'Byeonsangdo' (illustrated scrolls), and 'Najeon Gukdangchomun Gyeongham' (lacquered mother-of-pearl Buddhist scripture box). It is rare for an exhibition to showcase only domestic works; usually, overseas pieces are also included, but typically only one or two important foreign masterpieces are displayed. This exhibition showcased 92 Buddhist art masterpieces from 27 collections located in Korea, Japan, the United States, and Europe (48 Korean, 19 Chinese, 25 Japanese). More than half (47 pieces) of the 92 works were exhibited in Korea for the first time.

Visitors demonstrating the digital magnifier artwork by Byun Sang-do at the Hoam Art Museum's special exhibition "Like a Lotus That Does Not Stain in Mud."
[Photo by Samsung Electronics]

The gilt-bronze Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, which received overwhelming attention from visitors, is a 7th-century Baekje artifact first publicly displayed after liberation in 1945. It is regarded as a masterpiece of Korean art history, showing the 'Smile of Baekje.' The 'Byeonsangdo' displayed on the second floor is a work that Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong has viewed five times with key guests during this special exhibition and introduced repeatedly. The Byeonsangdo consists of seven volumes and is presented via digital display, allowing visitors to easily browse the pages with their fingers and receive explanations. For example, the dedication text in volume 7 of the Byeonsangdo contains a poignant message about gender discrimination delivered by Lady Kim of Jinhan (the wife of Gi Cheol, the brother of Empress Gi) in 1345.

Equally attracting visitors' attention was the 'Najeon Gukdangchomun Gyeongham,' a rectangular box containing Buddhist scriptures from the 13th-century Goryeo period. At the request of the Yuan Dynasty Empress Sejo, Goryeo produced these mother-of-pearl lacquered scripture boxes in large quantities. Only six pieces remain worldwide today, and one was exhibited in this special exhibition.

The 'Najeon Gukdangchom Gyeongham' unveiled at the Hoam Art Museum's special exhibition "Like a Lotus Unstained by Mud." It is a national treasure-level work from the Goryeo Dynasty.
[Photo by Moon Chaeseok]

The 90-minute tour of the special exhibition felt like a 'festival for all.' Both the press and general visitors quietly gathered in small groups near the masterpieces, exchanging opinions and impressions. This aligns with the philosophy of Hoam Lee Byung-chul, the founder of Samsung, who advocated creating a museum to prevent the outflow of national cultural heritage and to 'publicize' it rather than keeping it as private collections before the opening of Hoam Art Museum. At the opening ceremony of Hoam Art Museum in 1982, Lee Byung-chul said, "The museum was opened as a public cultural vessel to permanently preserve cultural assets and to utilize them for appreciation and research."

Lee Kun-hee, the late chairman, initiated the Leeum Museum project with the determination to create a cultural space where citizens could visit comfortably, opening the Leeum Museum in 2004. While striving to reclaim masterpieces, he emphasized, "We must gather the finest artworks in our country as quickly as possible." Chairman Lee Jae-yong is continuing the philosophy of the founder and the late chairman by donating over 23,000 collected works to the nation.

An industry insider said, "The love for art and noblesse oblige spanning three generations?from Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul, late chairman Lee Kun-hee, to Chairman Lee Jae-yong?allows the public to feel the power and charm of masterpieces," adding, "They are credited with contributing to the revival of domestic art culture and enhancing the public's 'right to cultural enjoyment.'"

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