<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
<html><head><style type="text/css"><!--
blockquote, dl, ul, ol, li { padding-top: 0 ; padding-bottom: 0 }
--></style><title>Re: [KS] Korean Museums</title></head><body>
<div>Not too sure where that info you quoted is from, as she is not
giving any source in that paper, probably because it can be considered
lexical knowledge, but I think it is probably just an English language
problem. (Dr. Sung, by the way, is a woman. She's a curator at the
National Museum of History in Taiwan.) I think it was then already the
same building as it is at present (as part of the Korean National
Museum of Contemporary Art). That is indeed the West Wing of the
neoclassical Sôkcho-chôn -- completed in 1910 (but already being
utilized in 1909) -- the building you were referring to.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>For a photo see e.g. on top of this exhibition report:</div>
<div
>http://www.ohmynews.com/nws_web/view/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0001038983</div
>
<div><br></div>
<div>The building was begun before Japanese occupation and
demonstrates King Kojong's interest in modernizing the country -- as
can be proven not just by the building itself but also by the art work
that was produced or bought for it, both from Western countries and
made by Korean artists (that already show a clear influence from
Western art at that early time, as we know from some photos and
various descriptions). The building was designed by the architect G.R.
Harding in 1901 and then build by H.W. Davidson.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Frank</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#000000">Dear List</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#000000">Emeritus Professor Keith Pratt has been trying to send
this to the list without success. I am therefore trying for
him</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#000000">Jim Hoare</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#000000"><br></font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#000000"><br></font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#000000">Dear List members,</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#000000"></font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#000000">In a 2006 conference paper (Korean Museums:
Modernization and participation in international activities), Sung
Kee-in wrote:</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#000000"></font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#000000">"In this [the protectorate] period, Japanese
immigrants<br>
aggressively collected and purchased all<br>
kinds of handicrafts and art work all over<br>
Korea, paving a solid base for national<br>
museums. It was also during this period that<br>
grave-robbers-cum-merchants actively<br>
explored the ancient capitals, Ke Sung and<br>
Kang Wha. Their findings were gathered up<br>
and taken to the Cho Sun Governor's office.<br>
Ironically, the Korean imperial family had to<br>
pay heavily to purchase these stolen artifacts.<br>
In this initial period, the museum's collection<br>
comprised over 12,230 pieces in total.<br>
The stone-built Hall Art Museum,<br>
completed in 1909, was located inside the<br>
Duk Su Palace, which used to be the abode<br>
of the abdicated emperor Go-Zong. The<br>
collection then comprised more than 110,000<br>
pieces."</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1" color="#000000"></font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1"
color="#000000">Does this help or complicate the issue still further??
Can anyone verify the matter of the 'imperial family' buying back the
artefacts at great cost? I had been wondering which particular
'stone-built' building he was referring to as the 'Hall Art Museum' in
the Toksu Palace, and had assumed that it was the Sokcho-jon, which H
W Davidson finished in 1909.<br>
<br>
Keith</font></blockquote>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<x-sigsep><pre>--
</pre></x-sigsep>
<div>--------------------------------------<br>
Frank Hoffmann<br>
http://koreaweb.ws</div>
</body>
</html>