Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden opens a window on its Korean Collection in new virtual tour program
WHAT: Virtual tour: Korean Collection at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
WHEN: Release: Friday, December 18 at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Watch on social media channels:
- Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. YouTube (@Koreaculturedc)
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden IGTV(@hirshhorn) and Facebook(@hirshhorn)
To view the video, click HERE
The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) proudly announces a new curator-led virtual tour of works by Korean artists at a major American museum with Korean Collection at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, set to release online on December 18.
During a time of limited travel and in-person programs, the KCCDC’s Korean Art in the U.S. series of virtual tours provides the public with an unprecedented level of access to the richness and diversity of Korean traditional and contemporary art in American museums, including rarely seen collections not currently on display.
The Korean collection at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden boasts a robust selection of Korean contemporary art across a variety of gernes including photography, sculpture, and painting, which the museum has been acquiring by gift and purchase since 1986. Starting from Waterdrops with Chinese Calligraphy by Kim Tschang-Yeul, one of the most influential modern Korean artists known for his paintings depicting water drops, the museum has acquired a total of 32 works by ten accomplished Korean artists, including Lim Choong-Sup, Nam June Paik, Cho Duck Hyun, Jae Ko, Nikki S. Lee, Jiha Moon, Chung Sang-Hwa, Park Seobo, and Lee Ufan.
Led by Betsy Johnson, Assistant Curator at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the virtual tour video will highlight exquisite examples of these esteemed artists’ works from the museum’s permanent collection of Korean contemporary art.
Presented by the KCCDC in collaboration with the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the video will release for public viewing on Friday, December 18 at 6:00 p.m. on the KCCDC YouTube channel (@Koreaculturedc) as well as the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden IGTV(@hirshhorn) and Facebook(@hirshhorn)
About the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the national museum of modern and contemporary art and a leading voice for 21st-century art and culture. Part of the Smithsonian, the Hirshhorn is located prominently on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Its holdings encompass one of the most important collections of postwar American and European art in the world. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs on the art of our time—free to all. The Hirshhorn’s outdoor sculpture garden and plaza are open daily 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The museum is currently closed due to COVID-19. For more information, please visit https://hirshhorn.si.edu.
About Curator Betsy Johnson
Betsy Johnson joined the Hirshhorn’s staff in January 2016 and was appointed Assistant Curator in March 2018, with responsibilities for overseeing the Museum’s photography collection. She organized Tony Lewis: Anthology 2014–2016 (2018), The Evidence Room (2019), and Feel the Sun in Your Mouth: Recent Acquisitions to the Hirshhorn Collection (2019).
She holds a master’s degree in art history from Pennsylvania State University and is ABD in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at the University of Maryland, College Park. She has curated exhibitions across the region for institutions such as the Maryland Institute College of Art, Washington Project for the Arts, Arlington Arts Center, McLean Project for the Arts, Metro Micro Gallery, and the Art Gallery at the University of Maryland, College Park. For more information, visit https://hirshhorn.si.edu/explore/betsy-johnson-assistant-curator.
About Korean Art in the U.S.
Presented by the Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C., Korean Art in the U.S. is a series of exclusive virtual tours and presentations that explore Korean art exhibitions and collections in U.S. museums. Viewers can gain a deeper understanding of Korean art, culture, and history as it related to each museum's featured art, either simply from the comfort of home or as a complement to an in-person visit. Through this and other innovative programs, the KCCDC will continues to share the uniqueness and excellence of Korean culture with the general public. For more information and to learn about past and future editions of the series, visit the KCCDC website at http://washingtondc.korean-culture.org.