A groundbreaking exhibition featuring artwork from the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee's donated collection has been postponed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art due to the ongoing U.S. federal government shutdown. The National Museum of Korea announced Thursday that the opening ceremony, originally scheduled for November 6, will be delayed indefinitely until the Washington museum can officially reopen.
The exhibition, titled "Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared," represents the first international showcase of works from Lee Kun-hee's remarkable art collection. The display brings together approximately 200 artworks and cultural artifacts that the late Samsung chairman donated to both the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea in 2021, following his death in 2020.
The federal government shutdown began on October 1 after Congress failed to pass a budget for the new fiscal year, forcing the closure of numerous federal institutions including Smithsonian museums. Chase Robinson, Director of the National Museum of Asian Art, communicated the delay to You Hong-jun, Director of the National Museum of Korea, via email, explaining that the museum remains temporarily closed due to the government funding impasse.
"The scale of his [Lee Kun-hee's] collection in the quality and comprehensiveness is really impressive," Robinson told The Korea Herald in a May interview, highlighting the significance of the upcoming exhibition. "This juxtaposition of traditional and modern art will be really interesting to people," he added, emphasizing the unique nature of Lee's diverse collection that spans centuries of Korean artistic tradition alongside contemporary works.
The ambitious exhibition has been in development since 2021, with the partnership between the two prestigious museums officially announced in 2023 through a formal agreement. The comprehensive display is designed to showcase the breadth and depth of Lee Kun-hee's art collection, which includes both traditional Korean masterpieces and modern contemporary works that reflect the evolution of Korean artistic expression.
Following its eventual opening in Washington, D.C., the exhibition is planned to travel to additional major cultural centers, with confirmed stops in Chicago and London. This international tour will provide audiences around the world with an unprecedented opportunity to view these significant Korean cultural treasures that were carefully collected and preserved by one of South Korea's most influential business leaders.
