The Met on Growing Korean Contemporary Art Collection #shorts

Why It Matters

The Met’s focus on Korean contemporary art elevates the region’s market and cultural influence while reinforcing the museum’s role as a global art hub without expanding physically overseas.

Key Takeaways

• Met will not open satellite museum abroad, stays in NYC.
• Focus on expanding Korean contemporary art collection and exhibitions.
• New wing dedicated to 20th‑21st century art under construction.
• Met seeks international collaborations, not permanent overseas presence.
• Frequent visits to Korea aim to acquire and showcase artists.

Summary

The Metropolitan Museum of Art clarified it will not establish a satellite museum abroad, reaffirming its commitment to remain physically rooted in New York City while serving a global audience.

Instead, the institution is intensifying its acquisition and exhibition of Korean contemporary art, positioning it as a central narrative of 20th‑ and 21st‑century art. A newly expanded wing for “art of our time” is under construction to house such works.

As a museum spokesperson said, “The Met is a museum of the world… we only want to be in New York City,” emphasizing partnerships over permanent overseas sites. Frequent trips to Korea aim to connect with artists and secure representative pieces.

This strategy enhances the Met’s cultural relevance, offers Korean artists unprecedented visibility, and signals a broader shift toward inclusive, transnational curatorial practices in major Western museums.

Original Description

New York museum undergoing multiyear $1.5 billion revamp to show crosscurrent of cultures, says Met director, CEO Max Hollein.

The Met is expanding its collection of Korean contemporary art with recent acquisitions of works by Lee Bul, Yee Soo-kyung, Kim Min-jung and Lee U-fan, according to Hollein.

The museum acquired a large ceramic sculpture by Yee Soo-kyung, "Translated Vase" (2017) from the "Translated Vase" series that formed a central part of the 2025 exhibition "Monstrous Beauty: A Feminist Revision of Chinoiserie," curated by Iris Moon, an associate curator at the Met.

Four large-scale sculptures by Lee Bul were installed at the Met's iconic niches from September 2024 to June 2025, as the fifth in the museum's annual Genesis Facade Commission series supported by the luxury brand of Hyundai Motor Group. "Long Tail Halo" series marked the artist's first major US exhibition in 20 years.

Hollein foresees the Met more actively collecting and exhibiting Korean contemporary art.

"It is an important part of not only the narrative of Korean culture but really also the important narrative of the art of the 20th and 21st centuries," he said.

A new expanded wing for "the art of our time" is being built at the Met and frequent visits by the Met personnel, including the CEO, to Korea are being made to not only connect with the art scene, but also to collect Korean contemporary art, Hollein said.

Link in bio for the full article by Kim Hoo-ran.

✂️ Tammy Park

#themet #met #art #contemporaryart #koreanart