BTS’s RM donation helps publish catalog of Korean paintings housed in global museums

A new catalog featuring 24 traditional Korean paintings housed in major museums and galleries overseas has been published with support from a donation made by BTS’s RM (Kim Namjoon).

On March 11, the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation announced the release of the catalog titled ‘IT’S ____ HERE : Shining Korean Old Paintings Abroad.’ The publication was produced using funds RM donated to the foundation in 2022.

RM previously donated 100 million KRW (approximately $75,000 USD) in both 2021 and 2022, supporting projects related to the preservation, restoration, and utilization of Korean cultural heritage located overseas.

The catalog introduces 24 Korean paintings created over roughly 400 years, spanning from the early 16th century to the 20th century. The collection includes landscapes, portraits, documentary paintings, and bird and animal paintings.

Notable works featured in the catalog include ‘Pyeongang Provincial Governor Welcoming the Successful Candidates of the State Examination’, housed at the Peabody Essex Museum in the United States, and ‘Snowy Landscape at Hanrim Pavilion’, held by the Cleveland Museum of Art. The artworks, presented in formats such as folding screens and hanging scrolls, are compiled with high resolution images and detailed explanations.

The foundation collaborated with overseas institutions to obtain image plates and has distributed the catalog to public libraries and major research institutions both in Korea and abroad. According to the foundation, the publication was designed to serve as a resource for exhibitions as well as educational and academic research.

According to foundation data, as of January, there are 121,143 Korean cultural heritage items located overseas, amounting to 256,190 individual pieces. The foundation continues to promote projects focused on the repatriation and preservation of Korean cultural heritage abroad.

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