Korean Art 1900-2020 is expected to live on as a milestone in the Korean art research project with its in-depth exploration of currents over 120 years of Korean art history, as well as the most important artworks and artists of each era. In order to present a wide variety of perspectives and analyses on Korean modern and contemporary art, the compilation involved the participation of 34 writers, including MMCA curators and Korean art experts from various areas. It consists of five parts: “From ‘calligraphy and painting’ to ‘art,’” “Art in a time of war and division,” “The tradition/modernity dynamic in the modernization era,” “Democratization and the pluralization of art,” and “Globalism and contemporary Korean art.” For each topic, texts have been compiled to provide a chronological glimpse of currents in Korean modern and contemporary art history, accompanied by color images of around 400 major artworks and archival materials. A chronology of Korean art history has also been presented to offer an all-in-one survey of 120 years of Korean art.

Chapter 1, titled “From ‘calligraphy and painting’ to ‘art,’” covers the period from Korea’s opening in the late 19th century through the first part of the 20th century and Korea’s liberation in 1945. It examines the ways in which modernity was introduced into the traditional Korean painting world in a time of social and cultural upheavals. In particular, it focuses on changes to traditional painting and the artistic establishment with the advent of the new “art” concept, as well as the new visual culture ushered in by advancements in popular media.

Chapter 2, titled “Art in a time of war and division,” examines the process of Korean art transforming and acquiring its own independence during a time of revolution and chaos extending from liberation until shortly after the end of the Korean War. By also including trends in North Korean art during this time, the book attempts to expand the focus of art history research to the artistic diaspora brought about by the Japanese occupation and the Korean Peninsula’s division.

Chapter 3, titled “The tradition/modernity dynamic in the modernization era,” focuses in particular on the Dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome) movement, experimental art, and Korean artists’ journeys overseas, all of which came about amid transformations in the Korean art world during the postwar restoration and industrialization period from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Chapter 4, titled “Democratization Movement and the pluralization of art,” concentrates on art as a reflection of individual lives and historical currents amid the calls for democratization in 1980s South Korea. It explores the expansive potential of Korean art through a diverse range of fields including the Minjung activist art movement, feminist art, Hangukhwa (Korean painting), crafts, design, architecture, and photography.

Chapter 5, titled “Globalism and contemporary Korean art,” examines the diversification of 21st century Korean art under the effects of globalization and internationalization since the 1990s.

National Museum Of Modern And Contemporary Art

Youn Bummo, Kim Inhye, Kang Mingi, Mok Soohyun, Seo Yuri, Kim Hyunsook, Kwon Heangga, Liu Jienne, Shin Soo-kyung, Hong Jisuk, Park Soojin, Cho Eunjung, Park Youngran, Chung Moojeong, Kho Chung-Hwan, Kim Yisoon, Cho Soojin, Kim Keongyeon, Kwon Young-jin, Kang Soojung, Gim Jonggil, Kim Hyeonjoo, Song Heekyung, Choi Bum, Chung Dahyoung, Lim Shan, Song Sujong, kim Kyoung-woon, Yang Eunhee, Shin Chunghoon, Bae Myungji, Woo Jung-Ah, Helen Jungyeon Ku, Ryu Hanseung