Traditional and Contemporary Korean Art from the Mattielli & JSMA Collections

The JSMA houses almost 400 Korean objects of various media spanning the fifth through the twenty-first centuries. This installation features distinguished examples of Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) through contemporary calligraphy and painting as well as a selection of contemporary Korean ceramics drawn from the JSMA and the distinguished private collection of Robert and Sandra Mattielli. One section is devoted to the theme of *chaekkori *(scholar’s accouterments)—a painting genre in which playful illusionistic depictions of piled books, art objects, and traditional literati paraphernalia are rendered to create the impression that the objects exist in three-dimensional space. A rare preparatory drawing for such a *chaekkori *is displayed between two finished screen paintings and a case filled with samples of some of the depicted items. Also featured are two recent Korean acquisitions: a magnificent ten-panel *Screen of Classical Chinese Poems *by celebrated calligrapher Jung Hyunbok (1909–73) and a whimsical contemporary ink landscape by Her Suyoung (born 1972). This special presentation is made possible with support from the Farwest Steel Endowment Fund.