A special exhibition offering a sweeping view of 600 years of Western art history through masterpieces by iconic artists from the Renaissance, through Impressionism, and up to the pre-World War II era of Modernism, will be held. Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year since its opening in 1925, the San Diego Museum of Art will present "From the Renaissance to Impressionism: San Diego Museum of Art Special Exhibition" at the Sejong Museum of Art in the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, starting November 5.

Goya, Portrait of Aragon, oil on canvas, circa 1795, 108.27 cm x 82.55 cm, San Diego Museum of Art

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This exhibition features works by masters who represent the major currents of Western art, from the Renaissance through the Baroque and Rococo periods. Artists include Bernardino Luini, Paolo Veronese, Hieronymus Bosch, Jacopo Tintoretto, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Francisco de Zurbaran, Bartolome Esteban Murillo, Anthony van Dyck, Francesco Guardi, Bernardo Bellotto, Simon Vouet, and others.

In addition, the exhibition introduces works by leading figures in modern art from the 19th century onward, including Francisco Goya, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre Bonnard, Suzanne Valadon, Marie Laurencin, Raoul Dufy, and Amedeo Modigliani.

Including these, the exhibition presents 65 works by 60 artists who have left a significant mark on Western art history. The collection comprises 63 oil paintings and 2 sculptures, providing visitors with a rare opportunity to experience masterpieces they have only seen in textbooks. This is a large-scale exhibition with a total value of over 2 trillion won. Notably, for the first time in its 100-year history, the San Diego Museum of Art will unveil in Seoul 25 major pieces from its permanent collection that have never before been exhibited overseas. Roxana Velasquez, CEO and Executive Director of the San Diego Museum of Art, stated, "This is the first time in our 100-year history that so many works from our permanent collection have been released to the public outside the museum, and Korea is the first to host this. This exhibition is a truly unique opportunity that may never come again." She added, "This is more than just a chance to view masterpieces; it is an exhibition that shows how the great masters of Western art influenced each other, leading up to contemporary art."

Hieronymus Bosch, The Arrest of Christ, Oil and Tempera on Panel, circa 1515, 50.48 cm x 81.12 cm, San Diego Museum of Art

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This exhibition is not limited to a specific period or movement, but is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of 600 years of Western art history, spanning the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Classicism, Realism, Impressionism, and pre- and post-World War II Modernism. The exhibition was planned by Anita Feldman, Deputy Director of the San Diego Museum of Art, with Dr. Michael Brown-an expert in 17th- and 18th-century Spanish art-serving as curator to enhance its scholarly depth. Unlike the San Diego Museum of Art's centennial touring exhibition previously held at the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo and the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art in Japan, the Seoul exhibition includes a significant number of works by masters from the Impressionist era onward. Twenty-eight previously undisclosed pieces that were not shown at the other two venues will be exhibited in Seoul, making this an especially meaningful event for Korean art enthusiasts. The exhibition will run until February 22 of next year.