Director’s Note In celebrating the twenty- 昀椀昀琀h anniversary of the Arts of Republic of Korea’s national museums and private Korea Gallery, this issue of the Bulletin invites us to re昀氀ect institutions have shared their collections as short- and on the past while embracing the future. The accom- long- term loans, greatly enriching The Met’s exhibits. panying exhibition marks an important milestone in The The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, The Republic Metropolitan Museum of Art’s history—the establish- of Korea (MSCT), has sponsored a gallery refurbishment, ment of the Arts of Korea Gallery in 1998. Designed by programming, and special exhibitions. We are grateful Korean- born architect Kyu Sung Woo and his 昀椀rm based for its support of the exhibition Lineages: Korean Art in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the gallery beautifully at The Met and this Bulletin, and deeply appreciate the realizes The Met’s commitment to the display and study generosity of all the lenders, in particular the Leeum of Korean art and culture—recognizing their importance Museum of Art, Seoul, and the National Museum of within the multiplicity of cultures represented here. Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. The Lila Acheson Since its opening, the gallery has served as a platform Wallace Fund for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for The Met’s nearly seven hundred Korean objects that established by the cofounder of Reader’s Digest, makes date from the Bronze Age to the present with particular possible, in part, The Met’s quarterly Bulletin program. strengths in lacquer, Buddhist paintings, and ceramics. Lineages: Korean Art at The Met reminds us of the It has inspired pioneering exhibitions, introducing topics crucial role art plays in enabling individuals and societies such as munbangdo (scholar accoutrement paintings) to narrate the past and imagine the future. Pairing The and buncheong ceramic ware to a global audience. It has Met’s historical collection with important international been a space of active re昀氀ection, with talks, class visits, loans of Korean modern and contemporary art, this and videos about art making, ritual practices, and tradi- Bulletin and exhibition illustrate both the continuities tional music all helping to share the richness of Korean and ruptures of style, form, and medium that have culture in ways that were impossible before its inception. de昀椀ned the dynamic terrain of Korean art. The works The Met was one of the 昀椀rst museums in the United tell multiple stories about tradition, history, and socio- States to open a gallery dedicated to Korean art. This cultural change and evolution. By embracing the duality was made possible by the vision of former and present of looking backward and looking forward, the artists Met colleagues and Korean advisors, who collectively laid featured here honor their past, acknowledge their the foundation for ongoing initiatives and collaborations present, consider their future, and, in turn, inspire us to showcase Korean art at The Met. The Korea Foundation to do the same. was instrumental in the establishment of the Arts of Korea Gallery, and the Kun- Hee Lee Fund for Korean Art, Max Hollein created by the Samsung Foundation of Culture, has Marina Kellen French Director and CEO supported the gallery’s dynamic programming. The The Metropolitan Museum of Art 3