Sitting on a hill between the zoo and Seoul Land, the museum has seven galleries, an outdoor sculpture park and several corridor exhibits showcasing Korean and International Modern Art. Open from 9am until 6pm (7pm on weekends and Bank Holidays, 5pm in winter), admission is a very reasonable 700 Won for over 25s, 300 Won if you’re between 19 and 24 and free for under 18s and over 65s. Last ticket sales are one hour before closing, and the museum itself is closed on Mondays and January 1st. There are a number of special exhibitions, including New Acquisitions, Young Korean Artists Exhibition and Artist of the Year 2002 this year, which may require an extra admission fee.
There is an annex of the museum located at Deoksugung Palace in central Seoul. This largely features the museum’s collection of modern paintings.
Special events at the museum include the Summer Music Festival in July and the Month of Culture in October. The latter boasts a number of open-air concerts and modern dance performances.
GROUND FLOOR
After buying your tickets at the door you enter the main lobby. The museum library is on the left, the gift shop is to the right, and the cafeteria is straight ahead beyond the circular information booth dispensing floor plans in five languages. The circular gallery displays paintings, sculptures, installations and video works by acclaimed artists while galleries 1,2 and 7 house the special exhibitions.
FIRST FLOOR
Galleries 3 and 4 showcase the history of Korean Art since the 1950s. There are also individual spaces for renowned artists such as Kim Ki-chang and Yoo Young-guk. The Children’s Gallery is housed in a circular corridor, featuring the works of schoolchildren who have participated in the museum’s education programmes.
SECOND FLOOR
Gallery 5 contains contemporary ceramic, wood and metal craft works.
Gallery 6 houses sketches, monochrome paintings and minimalist sculptures dating from 1970.
I spent an hour and a half in the museum and found it to be truly fascinating. Rushed a little by the impending closing time, I would have liked another hour or so to take everything in properly. If you’re at all interested in modern art then this is a must-see. More information is available on www.moca.go.kr.