Diamond Mountains: Travel and Nostalgia in Korean Art

The Diamond Mountains—perhaps the most famous and emotionally resonant site on the Korean peninsula—is the theme of this international loan exhibition. Though the region has inspired cultural pride since ancient times, its location in what is today North Korea has kept it largely inaccessible in modern times. Featuring nearly 30 works—from delicately painted scrolls and screens to monumental modern and contemporary art—the exhibition will present the visual imagery of this iconic site from the 18th century to the present. Among the highlights is a designated Treasure from the National Museum of Korea: an album by Jeong Seon (1676–1759), who revolutionized Korean painting. Most of the objects on view have never before been displayed in the United States.

The exhibition is part of a celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of The Met's Arts of Korea Gallery. The exhibition's opening month also coincides with South Korea's hosting of the Winter Olympics Games in Pyeongchang.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website  

Whether or not you go, you can bring the exhibition into your home. The exhibition catalogue, Diamond Mountains: Travel and Nostalgia in Korean Art, provides a dazzling exploration of the pictorial traditions inspired by Korea’s legendary Diamond Mountains. The book explores the visual representation of this remarkable landscape from the 18th century to the present day. It explores how Jeong Seon (1676–1759) revolutionized Korean painting with his Diamond Mountains landscapes, replacing conventional generic imagery with specific detail and indelibly influencing generations of artists in his wake. It also discusses the potency of these mountains as an emblem of Korean cultural identity, as reflected in literature and in exquisitely detailed album leaves, handscrolls, hanging scrolls, and screens. This magnificent volume is the first in English to survey this rich artistic tradition and bring these distant mountains into view.

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