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Late Samsung chairperson Lee Kun-hee's art collection exhibition to open at Art Institute Chicago

Published: 04 Mar. 2026, 13:47 Updated: 04 Mar. 2026, 19:29

LEE JIAN
[email protected]

Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois [ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO]

The international touring exhibition of late Samsung chairperson Lee Kun-hee’s art collection is set to open at the Art Institute of Chicago on March 7, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (MMCA) announced through a press release Wednesday.

Titled "Korean National Treasures: 2,000 Years of Art," the show is set to feature 257 works from 140 holdings, including 13 masterpieces of modern and contemporary Korean art by artists such as Kim Whanki, Park Soo-keun and Chang Ucchin from the collection of the MMCA in Seoul, as well as seven National Treasures and 15 Treasures from the National Museum of Korea.

Lee Kun-hee collection is a vast assemblage of over 23,000 artworks and cultural artifacts amassed by the late Lee (1942-2020). Following his death, his family donated the collection, reportedly valued at up to 10 trillion won ($6.7 million), to the Korean state in 2021 .

Poster the exhibit "Korean National Treasures: 2,000 Years of Art," set to run from March 5 to July 5 at the Art Institute of Chicago [ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO]

The collection began its tour at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington in November. Drawing around 80,000 visitors, the display marked the highest attendance for a special exhibition at the institution in the past five years.

In addition to Kim Whanki’s " Echo de la Montagne" (1973) and Paik Nam-sun’s "Paradise" (1936), shown in the first leg of the tour, 11 newly selected works have been added for the Chicago show.

Highlights include two of the most iconic works in the collection — Lee Jung-seop’s "A Bull" (1950s) and "Family and the First Snow" (1950s) — along with Park Soo-keun’s "Woman Pounding Grain" (1957) and Chang Uc-chin’s "Ferryboat" (1951), offering Chicago audiences a vivid portrait of modern Korean life and artistic transformation, according to the MMCA.

"A Bull" (1950s) by Lee Jung-seop [MMCA]

In addition, 22 works on loan from the National Museum of Korea — including Jeong Seon’s "Clearing After Rain on Mount Inwang" (1751), Kim Hong-do’s "Chuseongbudo" (1805), a white porcelain bowl inscribed with the characters “Heaven, Earth, Black and Yellow,” a gilt-bronze Buddha from the Three Kingdoms period, the Goryeo-era Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara, and the early Joseon Buddhist text "Seokbosangjeol" — are designated National Treasures or Treasures.

The Art Institute of Chicago is a private, nonprofit art museum and one of the oldest and largest art museums, founded in 1879.

"Echo de la Montagne" (1973) by Kim Whanki [MMCA]

“This exhibition will present a comprehensive view of the originality and excellence of Korean art,” Kim Sung-hee, director of the MMCA in Seoul, said. “Following Washington, D.C., we hope the Chicago presentation will serve as another opportunity to share the beauty of Korean art with audiences around the world.”

"Korean National Treasures: 2,000 Years of Art" is set to run through July 5. The collection is then slated to travel to the British Museum in London for a show scheduled to be on view from Oct. 1 to Jan. 31 next year.

BY LEE JIAN [[email protected]]