The Samsung Foundation of Culture, celebrating its 60th anniversary next year, has unveiled the exhibition plans for the Leeum Museum of Art in 2025, encompassing both traditional and contemporary art.

The Leeum Museum of Art will present in-depth solo exhibitions of prominent Korean and international contemporary artists active since the 1990s as part of its biannual special exhibitions. Additionally, it will hold a modern & contemporary art collection exhibition for the first time in three years since its reopening and host a special exhibition sharing the results of conservation efforts for outstanding Korean cultural heritage housed overseas.

Pierre Huyghe Solo Exhibition (in February)

The first special exhibition of 2025 will be a solo exhibition of the globally renowned artist Pierre Huyghe, known for his multidisciplinary approach spanning ecology, technology, and contemporary societal issues.

This will mark Huyghe’s first museum solo exhibition in Korea. It will feature newly commissioned works jointly produced by the Leeum Museum of Art and Punta della Dogana in Venice, part of the Pinault Collection. The exhibition will showcase videos, sound, sculptures, and installations exploring ecosystems where humans and non-humans coexist.

Modern & Contemporary Art Collection Exhibition / Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Conservation Support Program Exhibition (in March)

In early March, the museum will open its much-anticipated modern and contemporary art collection exhibition. This showcase will include iconic works representing Leeum's collection, along with newly acquired pieces. Sculptures, including Alberto Giacometti's works—symbolic of Leeum—will be displayed alongside various paintings in a fresh reinterpretation within the M2 gallery.

Simultaneously, the M1 gallery will host a special exhibition under the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Conservation Support Program. This inaugural effort will present conserved Korean cultural heritage pieces housed overseas, providing visitors with an opportunity to appreciate these treasures collectively.

Lee Bul Solo Exhibition (in September)

In the second half of the year, the museum will present a large-scale survey exhibition of works by renowned Korean artist Lee Bul. Known for exploring themes such as the relationship between humans and technology, utopian modernity, and the aspirations and failures of human progressivism, this exhibition will be co-organized by the Leeum Museum of Art and the M+ in Hong Kong. Opening at Leeum in September 2025, the exhibition will travel to M+ in March 2026 and then continue to major international institutions.

Meanwhile, the Hoam Museum of Art will feature traditional art exhibitions and, in the second half of 2025, host a solo exhibition of Louise Bourgeois, one of the most influential modern artists of the 20th century, opening in August.

The foundation stated, "The exhibitions in 2025 will be realized through diverse collaborations with major domestic and international institutions, expanding opportunities for cultural exchange, broadening access to art for a wider audience, and enhancing the museum's influence both at home and abroad."

References

• 리움미술관 보도자료 (Leeum Museum of Art Press Release)

Ji Yeon Lee has been working as an editor for the media art and culture channel AliceOn since 2021 and worked as an exhibition coordinator at samuso (now Space for Contemporary Art) from 2021 to 2023.