이화여자대학교박물관

Doctor Helen Kim (ne Kim Hwal-ran, 1899~1970) devoted her entire life to Ewha Womans University. She built the Ewha Womans University Museum in 1935, under Japanese colonial rule, in order to preserve Korean cultural heritage and to give students a sense of national identity. Most of the Museum's collection was lost during the Korean War, but in order to bolster national pride and introduce Korean culture to foreigners, she reconstructed the Museum in Busan, while taking refuge from the war. After the war was over, she reopened the Museum, put her heart and soul into collecting artifacts, and laid the foundation for the Museum. Dr. Helen Kim had a fine eye for art and many of today's national treasures in the Museum were acquired by her. To celebrate the 100th birthday of Dr. Kim, who made the Museum what it is today, an exhibition, composed mainly of pieces she collected, was held to commemorate Dr. Kim's vision for preserving Korean culture and tradition, as well as her wish to realize that vision through the Museum, and in order to remember the simple beauty that she pursued. The exhibition opened on Dr. Kim's birthday, February 27, and was divided into three sections. The first symbolized the official and external image of Dr. Kim and consisted of documentary paintings, such as the Gisagyecheob, and portraits from the 18th century, as well as ceremonial tools and vessels from the 16th century. The second section symbolized an outdoor garden by using landscape paintings of oddly shaped stones and flowers from the Joseon dynasty and a celadon stool with openwork designs from the 13th century Goryeo dynasty (918-1392). The third section symbolized the personal aspect of Dr. Kim and was composed of wooden artifacts such as a folding screen with a painting of 100 boys or a desk with a white porcelain pencil holder and water dropper. There was also a white porcelain jar with a poem in underglaze iron and painted ox-horn sheet handicrafts for the boudoir, as well as table dishes with designs in underglaze blue that were actually used to serve guests, all of which display the poetic sentiment and personal taste of Dr. Kim. In addition, ritual artifacts were displayed, even though Dr. Kim herself was a Christian, showing her deep love for the Korean culture.