This is the 'Gansong Art Museum' in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, which opened in 1938. Itโs Korea's first private art museum and one of the top three private museums in Seoul (the other two being Leeum Museum of Art and Horim Museum).
The building looks small because it was built so long ago, so they actually opened a brand new branch in Daegu recently.
The major collection includes items you've definitely seen at least once in textbooks or books, such as the Hunminjeongeum Gansong Edition, Portrait of a Beauty (Miindo), many works by Kim Hong-do, and the Standing Stone Buddha.
Among them, the most unique collection piece is this 'Pair of Qing Dynasty Stone Lions.' These are artifacts from the Qing era. Gansong Jeon Hyeong-pil bought them at an auction in Japan in 1933 and brought them to Korea, where they guarded the main gate of the museum's Bohwagak building for 87 years.
Five experts from China's National Cultural Heritage Administration evaluated them, saying, 'The craftsmanship and decorative details are so exquisite and artistic that they are presumed to be Taemun stone lions that guarded the gates of a royal prince's residence (Wangfu).' They rated the pair as highly superior and precious works with historical, artistic, and scientific value.
This pair of lion statues was donated to China as a commemorative gift during the ministerial-level meeting at the recent Korea-China summit with Xi Jinping.
Gansong Jeon Hyeong-pil, the founder of the museum, was a man who lived out the philosophy of 'Protecting the Country through Culture' (Munhwa-boguk) by personally buying back Korean artifacts (like Silla/Goryeo pagodas and stone lanterns) that had been looted by Japan or taken overseas. Source: Cultural Heritage Gallery [View Original]
"Users are discussing the history of the statues and the museum founder's intent, with some questioning if China will return the favor, while the usual 'Real-time Best' cut line and bots invade the thread."
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