Smithsonian's Asian Art Museum Unveils 'Korean Treasures' from Lee Kun-Hee Collection

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art is currently hosting "Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared," the first U.S. exhibition of significant works from the Lee Kun-Hee Collection. The exhibition, which opened on November 8, 2025, will run through February 1, 2026, at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, D.C.

This landmark exhibition features over 200 works spanning 1,500 years of Korean art, including ancient Buddhist sculptures, ceramics, paintings, furnishings, and modern masterpieces from the 20th century. Notably, the collection includes 14 National Treasures and 46 Treasures designated by the Korean government. The exhibition is organized thematically across ten galleries, exploring various aspects of Korean art and culture. It opens and closes with displays inspired by chaekgado—19th-century painted screens depicting scholarly books and treasured objects. Other sections focus on the scholar’s study (sarangbang), the refinement of the Joseon royal court, the endurance of Buddhist imagery, and the emergence of modern Korean painting.

The Lee Kun-Hee Collection comprises more than 23,000 works donated to the Republic of Korea in 2021 by the family of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-Hee. This donation was unprecedented in both scale and significance, encompassing rare books and all major media explored by Korea’s artists and artisans. Although referred to as the Lee Kun-Hee Collection, the holdings result from over seventy years of generational collecting begun by Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul and continued by his son, Lee Kun-Hee, and his wife, Madam Hong Ra-hee.

Carol Huh, the museum’s assistant curator for contemporary art, noted that while the exhibition wasn't conceived in response to the growing popularity of Korean pop culture, the broader rise of K-culture provides a timely, welcoming context. She expressed hope that the exhibition would deepen curiosity by linking today’s enthusiasm to its historical roots. Sunwoo Hwang, the museum’s curator of Korean Art and Culture, emphasized the unprecedented scale and significance of the gift, highlighting that it spans prehistoric to contemporary times and comprises rare books as well as all major media explored by Korea’s artists and artisans.

Following its run in Washington, D.C., the exhibition will travel to the Art Institute of Chicago (March 7–July 5, 2026) and later to the British Museum in London. Each institution will present a distinct interpretation of the collection.

This exhibition offers a rare opportunity for American audiences to engage with Korea's rich artistic heritage and reflects a significant cultural exchange between Korea and the United States. It also underscores the importance of preserving and sharing cultural heritage, as exemplified by the Lee family's donation.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, established in 1923, was America’s first national art museum and the first Asian art museum in the United States. It stewards one of the world’s most important collections of Asian art, with works dating from antiquity to the present. The museum is committed to preserving, exhibiting, researching, and interpreting art to deepen public and scholarly understandings of Asia and the world.

This comprehensive exhibition not only showcases the depth and diversity of Korean art but also highlights the importance of cultural exchange and the preservation of artistic heritage.