Korean Buncheong Ceramics from the Leeum Collection April 5 – August 2011

A special loan exhibition focusing on the dynamic art of buncheong ware will go on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on April 5. Featuring some 60 masterpieces from the renowned collection of the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul, Korea—the majority of which have never before been seen in the U.S.—Korean Buncheong Ceramics from the Leeum Collection will explore the bold and startlingly modern ceramic tradition that flourished in Korea during the 15th and 16th centuries, as well as its eloquent reinterpretations by today's leading ceramists.

The exhibition will also present a selection of Edo-period Japanese revivals from the Metropolitan's collection to highlight the fascinating reverberations of buncheong idioms beyond its original place and time of production. This is the first exhibition to feature both buncheong ware and later Japanese ceramics inspired by them and to explore their connections.

Buncheong ware represents a unique genre of ceramics distinguished by its surface decoration employing white slip and a variety of modes of embellishment, including inlaid, stamped, incised, sgraffito, iron-painted, and brushed designs. It was produced from the end of the 14th through the late 16th century in the central and southern provinces of the peninsula, as tableware and ceremonial vessels initially for the court and the elite then shifting to the commoner class. The strikingly expressive and contemporary designs of these ceramics, which embody the creative dynamism of the period, continue to resonate with 21st-century viewers.

The exhibition will showcase a number of masterpieces, including six registered Treasures, such as the stunning Large Jar with Inlaid Peony Decoration (Treasure no. 1422). Many of the works feature minimalist or abstract designs such as an example with an eye-catching Miro-esque decoration (Flask-shaped Bottle with Incised Abstract Design) or another with a scrolling motif rendered with calligraphic virtuoso (Jar with Floral Scroll Decoration).

The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue published by the Metropolitan Museum and distributed by the Yale University Press.

The catalogue is made possible by The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation.

Education programs organized in conjunction with the exhibition include a Sunday at the Met lecture program on May 15. Gallery talks will also be offered for general audiences.

Korean Buncheong Ceramics from the Leeum Collection is organized by Soyoung Lee, Associate Curator in the Museum's Department of Asian Art, in collaboration with Seung-chang Jeon, Chief Curator of the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul.

The exhibition will be featured on the Museum's website at www.metmuseum.org.