Imagine a deceased billionaire's art collection becoming a national treasure, a symbol of cultural identity showcased on a global stage. That's exactly what's happening with the late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee's extraordinary art collection, a trove now serving as South Korea's latest "K-culture" export.
For over seven decades, the family behind the electronics behemoth Samsung meticulously assembled one of Asia's most impressive private art collections. Following Lee Kun-hee's passing, thousands of these priceless works are now in public hands, poised to play a significant role in South Korea's ongoing soft-power initiatives. Think of it as cultural diplomacy at its finest, using art to build bridges and foster understanding.
In 2021, the late Lee Kun-hee's estate donated more than 200 pieces from a total of 23,000 objects to the country. This donation is widely believed to be part of an agreement to settle a substantial inheritance tax bill exceeding 12 trillion won (approximately $8.2 billion USD). Now, a selection of these items has made its way to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., for a landmark exhibition.
Spanning an impressive 1,500 years of Korean artistic heritage, the items curated by the Smithsonian for "Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared" offer visitors a captivating glimpse into the very roots and evolution of Korea's modern identity. And this is the part most people miss: the exhibition also subtly explores the motivations of the famously private Lee family, offering a rare peek behind the curtain of one of the world's most influential business dynasties.
The diverse collection encompasses everything from exquisite Buddhist sculptures and sacred texts to beautifully crafted antique furniture and groundbreaking 20th-century paintings. These modern works are by pioneering artists such as Lee Ungno and Kim Whanki, figures who, according to curators, fundamentally redefined Korean painting within a rapidly modernizing world. They were grappling with new ideas and influences, trying to find their place in a changing global landscape.
The Lee Kun-hee collection, initiated by his father, Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul, is truly unprecedented in its scope and scale. Almost all of the 23,000 donated items found a new home at the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. These institutions collaborated closely with the Smithsonian for this groundbreaking exhibition. Following the announcement of the donation, the South Korean government unveiled ambitious plans for an entirely new museum in Seoul specifically dedicated to showcasing the collection. The hope is that this museum will further solidify Korea's brand identity as a leading cultural force on the world stage.
The Washington, D.C., exhibition features several sections dedicated to Korea's last royal kingdom, the Joseon dynasty, which reigned from 1392 to 1910. Through court art and ceremonial objects, curators highlight the tastes and values of the scholarly elite, providing insight into the ideals, aesthetics, and patronage systems that shaped Korean culture for centuries. The show also delves into the profound influence of Buddhism on the Korean peninsula, as well as the struggles of modern artists as they navigated the tumultuous Korean War and the monumental changes occurring both within the country and across the globe.
Some of the most compelling pieces from the Washington, D.C., exhibition are scheduled to travel to Chicago and London next year, capitalizing on the growing global fascination with all facets of Korean culture, from K-beauty to K-pop.
"It is fantastic that Korea is making this global contribution to popular culture the way it is, but you know, Korean culture didn’t start 10 or 15 years ago, right?" observed Chase F. Robinson, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. "There are deep, deep reservoirs or veins of, especially, Korean visual culture. This is an opportunity to see that in play."
Robinson further emphasized that the exhibition will "play an important role in filling out that understanding, and (in) seeing some of those pre-modern traditions that feed into these millennia of creative dynamics."
He also pointed out that the exhibition's theme resonates particularly strongly given the increasing size, influence, and cultural power of Asian American communities within the United States.
Organizers have emphasized that the majority of the objects are being exhibited outside of Korea for the very first time, adding to the exhibition's significance.
Carol Huh, the museum’s associate curator of contemporary Asian art, stated, "That there is this heritage that is so multi-dimensional and so rich — to bring it all together and show the significance — I think is what is notable, remarkable."
Huh's particular area of interest and expertise lies in the works of 20th- and 21st-century artists who directly addressed themes of modernization and the rapidly shifting political landscape. This was a period of immense upheaval for Korea, a nation that, after centuries of limited engagement with the outside world, suddenly found itself subject to a multitude of external forces and trends.
Within a mere century, the country transitioned from an imperial dynasty to a Japanese colony, and then split into two independent states following the division of the peninsula into a Russian-controlled north and a U.S.-administered south after World War II. Today, South Korea stands as a liberal democracy, while North Korea remains a totalitarian state under the rule of Kim Jong Un.
"They were very much at the core of this complicated history of trying to understand what it is to be an artist in Korea," Huh explained.
Huh also noted that the Lees' bequest fills a significant gap in the history of contemporary Korean art, encompassing works by nearly 300 20th-century artists. She highlighted that this period was characterized by a concerted effort to identify and assert distinctly Korean cultural forms.
Among the works selected for the Smithsonian exhibition are pieces by artists such as Kim Whanki, a prominent figure in the monochrome Dansaekhwa movement. These artists, having lived through Korea's liberation from Japan, the Korean War, and military dictatorship, often employed abstraction as a means of avoiding explicit meaning in their images, partly due to concerns about government censorship. The exhibition also features works by Lee Ungno and Park Saengkwang, key figures in the antithetical Minjung art (or "the people’s" art) movement, which championed democracy and social justice during the 1970s and 1980s.
The exhibition catalog notes that the Lee family "presciently sought out modern paintings at a time when only a few paid attention to them."
Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul's motivations were also driven by a desire to repatriate art that was a part of Korean history. Over the centuries, many artifacts had been sent abroad, lost, or even deliberately erased by the colonial Japanese government, which had even gone so far as to outlaw the Korean language.
"The cultural heritage of our nation should no longer be scattered or lost abroad," he wrote in his autobiography.
The Lee family has a long history of making donations to museums throughout South Korea in recent decades. Even after their substantial 2021 donation, the family continues to maintain a sizable private collection, some of which is on display at the Samsung-run Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, where they continue their legacy of collecting.
But here's where it gets controversial... Lee Kun-hee's art acquisitions were not entirely without controversy. In 2007, he faced accusations from Kim Yong-chul, a former Samsung lawyer, alleging that he had used company slush funds to purchase expensive artworks. Lee denied these accusations, but they triggered an investigation into the former chairman, ultimately leading to his conviction for tax evasion in 2008 (although prosecutors never pursued bribery charges related to the alleged slush funds).
Like some of the artists whose works they collected, the Lee family also seemed to grapple with the complexities of being Korean in an increasingly globalized world. The collection offers glimpses into what the Lees, along with their advisors, perceived as essential elements of Korean identity and what they sought to project to the global community.
Lee Kun-hee is quoted in the exhibition catalog as stating, "When Korean identity permeates our daily lives, we will gain cultural competitiveness on the world stage."
J. Keith Wilson, the Smithsonian’s curator of ancient Chinese art, noted that Lee Kun-hee's father, Lee Byung-chul, often wrote about how artworks provided him with spiritual upliftment during times of stress or served as a calming influence when he felt agitated.
Wilson added, "Clearly, he had a very personal connection with Korean art of the past and was able to communicate with it in what seems to be like a spiritual way."
"Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared" is currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., and will run through February 1, 2026.
What do you think about the use of art collections, especially those acquired through potentially controversial means, to promote a nation's soft power? Does the end justify the means in this case? And what aspects of Korean identity do you believe are most effectively communicated through this exhibition? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
