Sayart.net - Buddhist Art Exhibition Draws Large Crowds in South Korea

Hoam Museum Showcases Rare Treasures from East Asia

Courtesy of Hoam Museum of Art

A special exhibition on Buddhist art in East Asia at the Hoam Museum of Art has attracted over 60,000 visitors since its opening in March, averaging more than 1,000 attendees per day. The exhibition, titled “Unsullied, Like a Lotus in Mud,” focuses on the contributions and struggles of women in Buddhism, featuring 92 pieces including statues, paintings, and scriptures.

Among the highlights is the gilt-bronze standing Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, a 7th-century Buddha statue from Baekje (18 BC to 660 AD), displayed publicly for the first time. The exhibition includes 48 pieces from Korea, 25 from Japan, and 19 from China.
 

▲ A special exhibition on Buddhist art in East Asia takes place at the Hoam Museum of Art / Courtesy of Hoam Museum of Art

“They are all treasures we usually can’t have in one place,” said Kim Young-na, former director of the National Museum of Korea. Seinosuke Ide, a professor of art studies at Kyushu University in Japan, praised the exhibition, calling it "magnificent" and "a dream come true for all those studying Buddhist relics."

The exhibition has garnered attention from celebrities such as BTS leader RM and Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who visited five times. The Samsung Foundation of Culture, which organized the exhibition, coordinated with 27 overseas Buddhist collections over five years to bring it to fruition. The exhibition runs through June 16.

The Samsung Foundation of Culture, established in 1965 by Samsung founder Lee Byung-chull, aims to preserve art and artifacts. In 2021, the Lee family donated over 23,000 pieces to state-run museums, including the National Museum of Korea, following the death of Lee Kun-hee, father of Lee Jae-yong.

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Kang In sig, insig6622@naver.com