Samsung Leeum Art Museum, located in Seoul, was designed by three internationally renowned architects, Mario Bota and Jean Nouvel, and Rem Koolhaas of OMA, showcasing their unique architectural styles and deep understanding of art. This complex combines their unique design styles and becomes an important place to showcase traditional Korean art and international modern art.

First of all, Samsung Art Museum is a private art museum. Samsung's wife majored in art history, and Samsung spends tens of billions of yuan on art purchasing every year.

Samsung Art Museum
📍 Address: 60-16 Itaewon-ro 55-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 용산구 이태원55길 60-16)
🚇 Line 6, Hangangjin Station, Exit 1, 10-minute walk (go ahead and turn onto the ramp)
⏰10:00-18:00 (tickets will be closed at 17:30) Closed on Mondays

🎫 It is recommended to buy tickets at the scene, there is no need to make an online reservation in advance.

I strongly recommend that those visiting Seoul spend some time at Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in addition to shopping and getting beautiful. The largest private art museum in Korea! It's good to shoot! The location is in the same area as Hannam-dong/Itaewon, where you need to go shopping, and there used to be no detour. And South Korean shopping shops open relatively late, it is recommended to visit the Samsung Art Museum at 10am first, and then visit Hannam-dong in the afternoon to buy buy, so it is more reasonable to arrange the time of travel in the morning (especially for sisters who do not like to sleep late).

I arrived at the exhibition around 4pm on Sunday and there was a lot of people, but the lockers were very small and I had to wait for some people to leave before the lockers were available. See all pavilions 18000won, no online reservation required. The ticket clerk told me to go to M2 first, then M1 pavilion. Finally, look at the basement next to M2.

When you enter the exhibition hall, you can see floating balloon fish 🐟 and sometimes playing piano 🎹, which gives you a strong sense of flow when you visit the exhibition.


Leeum has two pavilions, M1 and M2

▪️M1 is a regular exhibition, mainly looking at ancient works of art. Museum 1, designed by Mario Bota, focuses on traditional Korean art, using heavy stone and deep colors to create a calm and solemn atmosphere. Its design highlights material texture and historical depth, providing an appropriate backdrop for traditional art. There are Meimei card slots, don't miss them. Based on ancient bronze porcelain, such exhibits in China will be more worth seeing, personally feel the architecture and display design of Samsung Art Museum is very beautiful, for these two items are also worth visiting. The exhibits inside are full of "Chinese elements", and the exhibits may be fresher and more cultural shock to Europeans and Americans.

▪️M2 brings more surprises. Jean Nouvel's Museum 2 is quite different, using modern materials such as steel and glass to design a series of dynamic and abstract Spaces dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Through its transparent and fluid form, Nouvel's design guides visitors into an art world full of light and shadow, emphasizing openness and interactivity. I really like the exhibition hall layout on the first floor about sound and light and shadow (Philippe Parreno's solo exhibition VOICES). Warm orange light and shadow is the beauty that can not be captured by the camera, and it is a kind of visual and spiritual healing beauty. It feels that time has slowed down in the existence space. It's worth it. It has two floors. It's the latest exhibition that just opened. It's the one with the most visitors. There are a lot of Korean girls taking pictures here.

The whole is not large, do not need to reserve a long time to visit the exhibition, feel reserved 1.5-2hrs is enough and not tired after shopping, do not delay the afternoon Hannan cave.

Samsung Leeum Museum is not only a place for art collection and exhibition, but also an outstanding representative of modern architectural art in its architecture and landscape design. Through its unique design and multi-functional space setup, the museum provides a platform to promote cultural exchange and art education, making it an important destination for art lovers in Seoul and around the world. The pavilion itself is a beautiful building! Even if you are not interested in the exhibition, the museum building itself is worth a visit!



Back to this exhibition, I really love it!

2024 No. 2.28-7.7 VOICES, the first solo exhibition of French artist Philipp Parreno in Korea, creates the aesthetics of the relationship between sound and light through light music. Fish balloons float freely in the air, and I am just a small ephemera in the vast universe. The melting snowman melts over time... The exhibition is worth a visit!