The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) proudly announces the sixth and final episode of Korean Art in the U.S., presenting an expert-led virtual tour of the Korean Gallery on view at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA).

Guided by VMFA Curatorial Assistant William Neer, this final virtual tour in the popular online video series highlights exquisite artworks currently on view in the museum’s Korean gallery, including ceramics, metalwork, lacquerware, painting and contemporary works that collectively span more than 1,500 years.

While key thematic presentations of the museum’s Korean art collection include the development of ceramics and techniques, Buddhist art, ritual services and outside cultural influences, this virtual tour takes a closer look at ten of the most significant objects from the current exhibition. Among them are a bronze foliate mirror from the 12th–13th century, an ornate 18th-century lacquerware inlaid with shimmering mother-of-pearl, 19th-century white porcelain vessels that would typically grace a scholar’s study or as offerings to a Buddhist temple, as well as an intricately painted 10-panel folding screen from the 19th century.

VMFA’s growing collection of Korean art contains 200 diverse objects. The collection of ceramics, ranging from earthenware to celadon and white porcelain with underglaze cobalt decoration, began to develop in the 1970s. Since 2016, the museum has added more than 100 examples of Korean ceramic vessels and roof-end tiles dating from the Unified Silla (668–935), Goryeo (918–1392) and Joseon (1392–1897) dynasties. Other important holdings include traditional and contemporary paintings, metalwork, lacquerware, furniture and textiles. The VMFA Korean Gallery opened in 2012 with the support of the Korea Foundation.

During a time of limited travel and in-person programs, Korean Art in the U.S. offers a new level of access to the richness and diversity of traditional and contemporary Korean art in American museums, through guided virtual tours of major exhibitions and rarely seen collections not currently on display.

This virtual tour of VMFA’s Korean Gallery will be released for public viewing on Friday, November 19 at 6:00 p.m. on the KCCDC YouTube channel (@Koreaculturedc), IGTV (@Koreaculturedc) and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/virginiamuseum).

About the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA, which opened in 1936, is a state agency and privately endowed educational institution. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret art, and to encourage the study of the arts. Through the Office of Statewide Partnerships program, the museum offers curated exhibitions, arts-related audiovisual programs, symposia, lectures, conferences, and workshops by visual and performing artists. In addition to presenting a wide array of special exhibitions, the museum provides visitors with the opportunity to experience a global collection of art that spans more than 6,000 years. VMFA’s permanent holdings encompass nearly 50,000 artworks, including the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris, and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is also home to important collections of Chinese art, English silver, and French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, British sporting, and modern and contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan, and African art. In May 2010, VMFA opened its doors to the public after a transformative expansion, the largest in its history.

The museum has recently undertaken an exciting $190 million expansion and renovation, anticipated to be complete in late 2025. International architectural firm SmithGroup is charged with designing a 105,000-square-foot wing for contemporary art, African art, photography, special exhibitions and events; a new 40,000-square-foot collections center to accommodate an expanded conservation department and collections storage; and 45,000 square feet of renovations to the museum’s 1936 building, 1970 building and Leslie Cheek Theater.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is the only art museum in the United States open 365 days a year with free general admission. For additional information, telephone 804.340.1400 or visit www.VMFA.museum.

About William Neer

William Neer joined the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2016 as the curatorial assistant for East Asian Art and, later, the exhibitions department. He assisted in organizing two international exhibitions, Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China (2017–2018) and Congo Masks: Masterpieces from Central Africa (2018–2019), contributing catalogue writing, training docents and providing tours and talks. In addition, Neer assisted with the East Asian Art department’s permanent collections research, art acquisitions and annual gallery rotations. In 2020–2021, he organized the works-on-paper exhibition The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Road: Japanese Landscape Prints by Hiroshige. Neer earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in art history and history from Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently a master’s candidate in the Program in Museum Studies at New York University.

Books and Scholar's Objects

1890s

Korean, Joseon dynasty

Ten-panel folding screen; ink and color on silk

Image (each panel): 47 3/4 × 13 1/2 in. (121.29 × 34.29 cm)

Overall: 73 1/4 × 174 3/4 in. (186.06 × 443.87 cm)

Kathleen Boone Samuels Memorial Fund, 2008.43

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond.  Kathleen Boone Samuels Memorial Fund, 2008.43

Treated in 2015 with a conservation grant provided by the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, South Korea.

Photo: Travis Fullerton © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Garment Box with Phoenix Design

1840s-1850s

Korean, Joseon dynasty

Black lacquer on wood with mother-of-pearl inlay

7 1/2 × 26 1/2 × 17 in. (19.05 × 67.31 × 43.18 cm)

Gift of Mary Moore Aldhizer; Col. Henry W. Anderson, by bequest; Forrest R. Brauer; Estate of Ailsa Mellon Bruce; M. Sutton Carter; Dr. Robert A. Fisher; Mr. Arthur Graham Glasgow; Mr. and Mrs. Huntington Harris; Furman Hebb; Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hennage, 2011.87a-b

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Various donors, by exchange, 2011.87a-b

Photo: Travis Fullerton © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts