The National Museum of Korea presents the special exhibition The Secret of the Joseon Portraits. This exhibition is significant in that it brings together masterpieces from inside and outside of Korea, including works that have not been shown before, and sheds light on all aspects of Korean portraiture on the basis of accumulated research in various fields over the years.

Korean portraiture has a long history going back to the Goguryeo period (37 BCE ~ 668), but it flourished and saw its greatest development in the Joseon period (1392 ~ 1910). In the Joseon period the Three Bonds and Five Cardinal Relations of Confucianism formed the basis of the social order, and few forms of visual art can help to understand the nature and underlying philosophy of Joseon society better than portraits.

The first portrait exhibition to be held at the museum in 32 years since the last one in 1979, The Secrets of the Joseon Portraits covers a wide time span stretching from the Joseon Dynasty to modern times, and also features portraits from China, Japan and the West. Therefore, visitors may get an idea of differences in the way Asian and Western artists perceived their subjects and the methods of expression used.

Organized in a narrative way according to theme and distinguishing characteristics, the exhibition will lay the foundation for future study of Korean portraiture and provide an opportunity to look at the paintings in a new way.

Click here for the exhibition details!