Following its launch in 1935, Ewha Womans University Museum became an independent institution in 1960 as a new museum founded at the present-day College of Art and Design, and built an extensive collection through donations from professors, alumni and various notable figures. As the College of Art and Design, which originally began as a department of Yerimwon, was subdivided into an art college in 1960, affiliated professors donated precious artworks to the museum, which later became the foundation of its modern and contemporary art collection. Donations by professors at Ewha’s college of art allowed the museum to continuously collect contemporary artworks across various genres, ranging from paintings, sculptures, installations, pottery, textile craft, and woodcraft, paving the way for the museum to take a leap forward through exhibitions encompassing both the traditional and the contemporary. Therefore, with our sincerest gratitude, we would like to present the Exhibition of Artwork Donated by Ewha Professors, which showcases an extensive variety of donated collections that encompass the panorama of modern and contemporary art history alongside works of professors at the Ewha’s college of art. 

Ewha Womans University Museum presents a special exhibition from our collection, titled Buncheong Ware, in celebration of the 133rd anniversary of the university’s foundation. Since presenting diverse aspects of the life of the royal family and commoners in the early Joseon Dynasty, buncheong ware has long been admired for best demonstrating Joseon’s sense of beauty. The Museum exhibits its buncheong ware collection, boasting multiple decorative techniques and types. In addition, shards of buncheong ware unearthed from the kiln sites in Udong-ri, Buan-gun and acquired by the museum in 1958 are finally restored to open to public viewing. This exhibition features the concept of buncheong ware, its production system, its techniques and aesthetic value, and its transmission to the modern era, with a view to demonstrating the multifaceted aspects of buncheong ware beyond a work of art, but rather as an economic product of a particular era, a product made to order for various uses amid systemic changes, and a memorabilia that represents the traditions of the past. This exhibition will offer an opportunity for visitors to rediscover the value and beauty of buncheong ware.

Undergarments are items of clothing that are designed to absorb sweat and maintain body temperature in direct contact with the skin. Due to its distinctive four seasons, the people of Korea developed a habit of wearing multiple layers of clothes since ancient times, which naturally led to the development of underwear culture in Korea, creating a variety of underwear for protection from the summer heat and winter chill.

Under the influence of Confucianism, Joseon Dynasty was a conservative society for women. The evolution of women’s clothes, whose life was largely restricted to the inside of their house, was mostly limited to skirts and jackets with few outer garments. Instead, a variety of women’s undergarments were developed to cover their skin and complete the overall outline of the outfit. After the late Joseon Dynasty, the upper garments became tighter while the skirts grew more voluminous. Women wore a chest band and multiple layers of drawers to puff out the skirt naturally and form a voluminous silhouette.

This exhibition presents a variety of everyday undergarments that were worn in multiple layers in order to complete the trend of the late Joseon, as well as underclothes for ceremonial dresses that were worn on top of everyday undergarments to complete the beautifully flared skirt line. In addition, the wave of modernization and the emergence of reformed undergarments offers insight into the transition of undergarments that continued throughout modern times. Made with various materials and sewing methods in accordance with the seasons, these undergarments show the wisdom of our ancestors in overcoming the climate, and the unique sense of aesthetic comprised of many layers. 

Celebrating the 1100th anniversary of the establishment of the Goryeo Dynasty, the Ewha Womans University Museum aims to show through this collection how Buddhist culture was deeply rooted in the lives of the Goryeo people, as well as in the arts and culture of an aristocratic society dominated by public officials. In particular, this exhibition features Treasure No. 352 Transcription of Saddharmapundarika Sutra (vol. 7), which has recently been returned to the museum after undergoing preservation work. Artworks on display such as acupuncture needle cases, bronze mirrors, bronze Buddhist bell, bronze gong, and silver-inlaid incense burner that were elaborately and sumptuously crafted with remarkable technical skills are masterpieces of Goryeo metalwork. Decorated with clear jade as the base color and created using various techniques such as inlaid and engraved works, Goryeo celadon was perfected with a rare formal beauty. The Ewha Womans University Museum houses excellent celadon pieces including Treasure No. 237 Celadon Jar with Inscription of  "The 4th Sunhwa Year" (993 A.D.) and Treasure No. 416 Celadon Stools with Openwork Design, as well as reference materials on the kiln in Yucheonri, Buan, a producer of celadon during its golden age.

Lee Ho-shin is a painter who has recorded with his brush the traces of his pilgrimages to local villages in an attempt to “draw the mind of the artist” through “realistic drawings” and “reflections.” Lee has formed a longstanding relationship with the Ewha Womans University Museum since 1997. In 2015, he unconditionally donated 269 of his paintings, drawing pads, sketchbooks, etc., on local villages and their residents to the Museum. To commemorate his generous contribution, this exhibition presents a selection of the donated pieces ranging from his early works of the 1990s to others as recent as 2011. In his visits to Korea’s many regions, such as Jeollabuk-do, Jeollanam-do Chungcheongbuk-do, Chungcheongnam-do, Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Jeju Island as well as the Onyeosanseong and Hwandosanseong Mountain Fortresses of China, Lee painted the scenery and people he encountered on the canvas. With the intent to depict the real faces of the villages, based on numerous sketches, he has created a complex composition which allows viewers to feel as if they are taking in these areas in a single glance. This is the new, true scenery of villages that the painter has pursued. Through this exhibition, the Ewha Womans University Museum wishes to express its deep appreciation for Lee’s donation of his precious artworks.