[KS] art publications

[Frank Hoffmann]

Hi all!

For those of you interested in Korean art and/or Choson period social
history ... I'd like to direct your attention to two new publications
(well, one is already from 1996, but the other just came out). Most of you,
even the ones with a strong interest in Korean art will probably have
missed news on these publications. Both are catalogues and not available
through regular bookshops -- and worth getting a copy!

The first one is Professor Junghee Lee's wonderful catalogue of the
Portland Art Museum's Korean art collection, entitled _Azaleas and Golden
Bells_ (1998). This relatively small collection of art from almost all
periods of Korean history and with outstanding examples of all genres came
together thanks to Dr. Lee's efforts in Portland. Korea specialists might
find the12 pp. long general introduction a bit dry, as is probably the case
with most such overviews anyway. But everybody is well rewarded when
reading Dr. Lee's descriptions and interpretations of the major works of
the Portland collection that make up the catalogue's main part; these are
truly most fascinating to read, not only for art historians, I think, but
also for historians interested in social history, esp. of Choson period
Korea. Most of the works in the catalogue are on  permanent exhibit in the
Korean art gallery or in the museum's Buddhist Art of East Asia exhibition.

ORDER INFORMATION for _Azaleas and Golden Bells_
$15.00 plus $5.15 shipping -- send orders to:
     Mr. Doug Mouw, Gift shop Manager
     Portland Art Museum
     1219 S.W. Park Avenue
     Portland, OR  97205-2486
     Tel. 503-226-2811, ex. 204
     FAX 503-226-4842

The second publication that I feel did not get the attention it deserves is
the exhibition catalogue _The Fragrance of Ink_ (1996), an exhibition of
the Korea University Museum's extraordinary collection of Korean Literati
painting that toured the U.S. two years ago. The bilangual catalogue
contains three fine essays by Kwon Young-pil, Yi Song-mi, and Byun
Young-sup (their own transcription).

ORDER INFORMATION for _The Fragrance of Ink_
$20.00 plus $1.75 tax + $4.30 shipping (= $26.05) -- send orders to:
     The David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art
     The University of Chicago
     5550 South Greenwood Ave.
     Chicago, IL 60637
     Tel. 773-702-0200
     FAX 773-702-3121


Time to relax. After so much academic stuff allow me to mention a third
publication: _BUG_, a new freaky journal, published in English in Korea by
an American journalist. It is lots of fun, I guarantee! Basically this is
an interview magazine that covers Korean (and Japanese) *popular culture*
-- but has also some pieces on avant-garde art (e.g., an interview with Lee
Bul). You can have a closer look right now -- they have a fun Web page
(that includes ordering information):
     http://bug.andyou.com/
Enjoy!

Yours,
Frank
         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frank Hoffmann * 1961 Columbia Pike #42 * Arlington, VA 22204 * USA
E-MAIL:  hoffmann at fas.harvard.edu
W W W :  http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hoffmann/




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