Japanese Businessman's Persuasion for $15 Billion... 'Smile of Baekje' Returns to Korea After Over 100 Years [Gallery Walk]

"The most beautiful Bodhisattva statue representing Baekje in the 7th century"

The "Gilt-bronze Standing Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara" (height 26.7 cm), known as the "Smile of Baekje." It was borrowed from a Japanese collector and is being showcased in this exhibition.
[Photo by Hoam Art Museum]

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The Baekje Gilt-bronze Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue, which appeared in Japan in 2019, had been hidden from the world for over 100 years after being excavated in 1907 in Buyeo, Chungnam, and taken to Japan. Professor Jeong Eun-woo, Honorary Professor at Dong-A University (currently Director of Busan Museum), who confirmed the location of the statue through the Cultural Heritage Recovery Foundation and personally viewed the statue in Tokyo, wrote the above sentence in his opinion letter. Subsequently, there were movements led by domestic researchers to repatriate the statue, and the National Museum of Korea offered 4.2 billion KRW to purchase it, but negotiations failed as the owner demanded 15 billion KRW. Hoam Art Museum contacted and repeatedly persuaded the owner for this exhibition, finally securing a loan, allowing the statue to set foot on its homeland again after 100 years.

Hoam Art Museum is holding the exhibition "Like a Lotus Unstained by Mud," focusing on the sufferings, wishes, and contributions of women depicted in Buddhist art from Korea, China, and Japan until June 16. This exhibition gathers 92 masterpieces of Buddhist art scattered around the world in one place and is the world's first exhibition highlighting the relationship between women and East Asian Buddhism.

The section "Seokga Chulga Do" (15th century Joseon). The king (bottom left) and queen are weeping sorrowfully upon hearing the news of the prince's departure. ⓒRheinisches Bildarchiv Cologne [Photo by Hoam Museum of Art]

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As the first thematic exhibition, Hoam Art Museum gathered about 90 works of various genres from 27 domestic and international collections for this exhibition. Among them are one national treasure and ten treasures from nine institutions including the Leeum Museum of Art, National Museum of Korea, and the Buddhist Central Museum. Nine works from the Lee Kun-hee Collection are also included.

Additionally, many foreign Buddhist artworks from institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the U.S., Boston Museum of Fine Arts, British Museum, and Tokyo National Museum have returned to Korea. More than half of the exhibited works, 47 pieces including the 'Gilt-bronze Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue' returning to the homeland for the first time since liberation, and the pair presumed to be ‘Birth of Sakyamuni’ and ‘Sakyamuni’s Renunciation’ paintings, have come to Korea from abroad for the first time.

The first part of the exhibition discusses the images of women depicted in Buddhist art, divided into humans, bodhisattvas, and goddesses, exploring how past eras and societies viewed women. The second part highlights women as patrons and creators beyond Buddhist artworks, focusing on those who sought to live as themselves, free from social and institutional constraints.

Notably, among the exhibited works are nine pieces being shown to the public in Korea for the first time, including the mid-7th century Baekje 'Gilt-bronze Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue' (privately owned), the Goryeo Dynasty 'Gold-ink Lotus Sutra Volumes 1-7' (Leeum Museum of Art), and the Goryeo 'Triad of Amitabha Buddha' (Leeum Museum of Art), capturing visitors' attention.

'Seokgatansaengdo', Joseon, 15th century, hanging scroll, color on silk, gold leaf, painting part 145.0x109.5 cm, owned by Honga-kuji Temple, Japan. Photo by Ochiai Haruhiko [Photo courtesy of Hoam Art Museum]

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It is also noteworthy that parts of the 15th-century Joseon Buddhist painting set depicting major scenes from the life of Sakyamuni, such as 'Birth of Sakyamuni' (owned by Hongakuji Temple in Japan) and 'Sakyamuni’s Renunciation' (held by the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne, Germany), are exhibited together for the first time. Especially, since 'Birth of Sakyamuni' will be returned to Japan after May 5, it is recommended to view it before then.

Moreover, 47 overseas-held works, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 'Triad of Shakyamuni Buddha,' are exhibited in Korea for the first time.

In connection with the exhibition, an international academic forum titled "Women in Buddhist Paintings, Women Beyond Buddhist Paintings," involving domestic and international Buddhist painting researchers, will be held on April 18 at the Leeum Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. In May, Hoam Art Museum will host three lectures by experts in Buddhist sculpture and Buddhist history.

Exhibition scene of the special exhibition "Like a Lotus Unstained by Mud," themed on stories of women in East Asian Buddhist artifacts. On the far right is "Shakyamuni's Renunciation" from the East Asian Art Museum in Cologne, Germany, and on the left is "The Birth of Shakyamuni" from Hongakuji Temple in Japan.
[Photo by Hoam Museum of Art]

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During the exhibition period, a free shuttle bus runs twice daily from Tuesday to Friday between Leeum Museum of Art and Hoam Art Museum. Reservations can be made on the website before use.

Curator Lee Seung-hye of Hoam Art Museum said, "Through a new approach that highlights women’s wishes and contributions beyond distinctions of era, region, and genre, we hope to discover contemporary meanings within traditional Buddhist art."

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