Slender white fingers toy with an agate ornament. The woman's lowered eyes gaze far away, elsewhere. Though the subject is rendered with refined brushwork and subtle coloring to elegant effect, she stands with her head turned shyly to one side. Her stylish, graceful posture, fine hair, and skin tone reveal that a delicate painter caressed the work countless times with devoted brushstrokes. Partial touches of color—the purple headband, the scarlet waist sash, the pink ornament—add vitality. This is "Portrait of a Beauty," Shin Yun-bok's masterpiece designated as a national treasure. A permanent exhibition room dedicated to "Portrait of a Beauty," known as "Korea's Mona Lisa," opens at the Daegu Kansong Art Museum on July 7.
The exhibition space is named "The Room of a Beautiful Person, the Beauty Portrait Room." Walking through a corridor enveloped in light, visitors come face to face with a small room. Inside the room, finished with hanji and free of decoration, there is only the "Portrait of a Beauty" and the visitor. The small room, like a private space, creates a time of undisturbed communion. The design was undertaken by Baek Jong-hwan, director of the space studio WGNB, a winner of international awards including the iF Design Award.
A collection piece of Kansong Chun Hyeong-pil and a representative work of the Kansong Art and Culture Foundation, "Portrait of a Beauty" has had limited opportunities for public viewing despite its fame and value. Visitors had to wait long to see the work during short exhibition periods, but this permanent exhibition expands the public's access to the work.
The Daegu Kansong Art Museum and the Daegu city government have decided to nurture "Portrait of a Beauty" as a cultural icon of Daegu through this exhibition. Just as the Louvre's "Mona Lisa" symbolizes Paris, the plan is for "Portrait of a Beauty" to represent Daegu and create ripple effects on downtown tourism and the local economy. Jeon In-geon, director of the Daegu Kansong Art Museum, said, "It holds great significance in that visitors can now encounter the Portrait of a Beauty at any time in their daily lives."
However, to maintain the viewing environment, the number of visitors entering the exhibition hall at the same time may be limited when crowds gather.
The Daegu Kansong Art Museum and the Daegu city government have decided to nurture "Portrait of a Beauty" as a cultural icon of Daegu through this exhibition. Just as the Louvre's "Mona Lisa" symbolizes Paris, the plan is for "Portrait of a Beauty" to represent Daegu and create ripple effects on downtown tourism and the local economy. Jeon In-geon, director of the Daegu Kansong Art Museum, said, "It holds great significance in that visitors can now encounter the Portrait of a Beauty at any time in their daily lives."
However, to maintain the viewing environment, the number of visitors entering the exhibition hall at the same time may be limited when crowds gather.
