The rainy season has started last week in Korea, bringing days of fickle rain and sunshine. But the capricious weather shouldn’t deter us from venturing outside and experiencing the city. There is one place where we can escape from the cloying humidity and heat, and that place is the National Museum of Contemporary Art, the largest art museum in Korea. There is an inviting stroll path, refreshing trees, and an air-conditioned museum with plenty to see.

The museum can be reached from Seoul Grand Park Station of subway line number 4. Get on a free shuttle bus run every 20 minutes by the museum and in less than five minutes you will arrive at the museum entrance. It was back in 1986 when the National Museum of Contemporary Art opened its doors at the current site. Here’s Ms. Choi Eun-ju of the museum’s business development team to explain more.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art first opened in 1969, but the original site has been razed since then. The museum was located deep within the Gyeongbok Palace compound, but it was relocated to Deoksu Palace in 1973. While the museum was run in Deoksu Palace from 1973 to 1986, the museum hosted the nation’s largest art competition. Deoksu Palace was known for its beautiful garden, an inviting background for many Korean painters. In the 1980s it became apparent that two stone buildings of the museum were not enough to accommodate all the artworks of Korea. The nation also needed a place to publicize Korean culture before the hosting of the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. So the museum moved to a new and bigger location in 1986.

It has been 26 years since the National Museum of Contemporary Art was relocated to Gwacheon. The tour of Korea’s largest art museum begins way before visitors arrive at the entrance. So, if the weather permits, try to walk to the museum instead of riding in a shuttle bus.

The start of art museum walking tour is the path stretching left to the ticket booth for the elephant train, which also takes visitors to the Seoul Grand Park and the Seoul Land Art Museum. A slow walk along this path surrounded by green mountains is a relaxing and pleasant experience, punctuated by the laughter and screams from Seoul Land rollercoaster riders. Soon visitors see the museum building located in the midway up the mountain and follow the sign up a small hill on the left. And then a series of stone steps leads to the National Museum of Contemporary Art.

The museum building was designed by architect Kim Tae-su, who currently lives in the U.S. His design won top prize at a contest for the best museum structure. His focal point was how to accentuate the beauty of surrounding Mt. Cheonggye. He wanted to build a museum that harmonized with nature and ended up incorporating two traditional architectural elements – beacon tower and stone walls. This is why you see the central hall of the museum elevated like a beacon tower, and the outer wall spread out like a wide and all-encompassing Korean skirt.

Architect Kim Tae-su’s philosophy was not to build or erect a museum, but let a museum sit among nature. So when Gwacheon was decided as the new site for the museum, many criticized the decision for building a museum so far away from the city in the middle of a mountain. But with the passing of time and opening of a subway station nearby, the National Museum of Contemporary Art ended up being located at a place with the best access and most eco-friendly environment. From afar it appears that Mt. Cheonggye and Mt. Gwanak are embracing the museum. A large lake in the front of the museum building adds a refreshing touch to the whole surrounding. These are some of the features that cannot be mimicked by the museums located in city centers.

- I like the exhibits, but above all I love the scenery. The four seasons are like nature’s exhibits and the museum is easily accessible and very inviting. The rocks and trees seem like they have a part of the museum from the very beginning. The museum building also appears really stylish and grand, but not intimidating or snobbish.

If the location of the museum invokes the feeling of a landscape painting, the building itself is a majestic sculpture. The National Museum of Contemporary Art is a work of art in itself.

- The museum exterior is made of granite, which imparts an impression of modernity. It makes me assume that the artworks displayed inside would be just as modern and awe-inspiring.

The granite exterior is colored in apricot, just like the skin tone of most Koreans. The apricot granite walls give different ambience to the building depending on the position of the sun and the amount of sunlight. Here’s Ms. Choi Eun-ju to explain more about the museum building.

Korea is known for its granite. But the museum builders scoured the whole country to find the apricot-colored granite and found the just right kind in Iksan, North Jeolla Province. The apricot hue is a really familiar color to Koreans. It is said the color is like a woman’s skin and changes by season and temperature. The exterior looks different depending on the time of day. Also the granite texture varies by location. The granite used on the outside is very rough to the touch, just like the grainy texture of stone sculptures or towers in ancient temples. But inside the granite walls are finely sanded and sport a very smooth texture like marble. It’s just one of many interesting architectural features of the museum.

Now let’s go inside the museum. The three-story building features seven exhibition halls, including the outdoor sculpture garden. The first thing you see in the central lobby is the Ramp Core, a spiral incline accessible to all sections of the museum. Here’s Ms. Choi Eun-ju for more explanation.

Visitors will see a round ramp in the middle of the main lobby. It’s called the Ramp Core or a rotunda, which is connected to the exhibition hall at the top. To the left of the ramp core is the circular gallery, and to the right are square-shaped galleries. Visitors can access all the galleries through this rotunda.

The roughly 23-meter-tall Ramp Core comprises the center of the museum. The most distinguishing feature of the ramp core is a video tower named “Dadaikseon (The More the Better),” a 1988 creation of famous Korean-born artist Paik Nam-june.

This video tower was inspired by the Korean tradition of walking around the tower to make a wish. The title “Dadaikseon” was given to illustrate the importance of having an abundant harvest in the agricultural society like the old Korea. The tower is made up of 1003 video monitors to honor October 3rd (ten-oh-three), the day the nation of Korea was established by Dangun, the founding king of the first Korean kingdom of Gojoseon. I think Paik Nam-june wanted to show the world that he is the Dangun of video art. The 1003 monitors show various images representing a wide range of thoughts and hopes of Koreans.

Walking up the Ramp Core is the best way to appreciate all aspects of the video tower.

- Paik Nam-june’s artwork is great. The way it soars to the ceiling is impressive. The spiraling tower looks like a beautiful conch shell.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art runs both permanent and special exhibitions to offer visitors more opportunities to view a wider range of artwork. Presently Gallery I on the first floor hosts an exhibition of painter Kim Jong-hak known for his paintings of flowers at Mt. Seorak. After majoring in painting in college, he spent his entire life in Mt. Seorak just painting flowers. He supposedly started painting wildflowers because he was so lonely.

- I really wanted to see Kim Jong-hak’s work. I am able to better understand his artistic views now that I’ve seen most of his paintings. I also like the way to the museum. The building is located in a place that’s quiet and relaxing. The entrance is just like the one at Guggenheim. I don’t have to go to New York to enjoy quality artwork. There is no place like this.

Gallery 2 on the first floor has all the works collected by the museum over the year, offering a glimpse into the museum’s favorite artists and genres. But a must-see stop on the first floor is none other than the Children’s Gallery which opened just last year.

The Children’s Gallery is where children can experience quality art and work on their creativity. The museum offers an array of programs, including general artwork appreciation and special artwork creation. The Children’s Gallery showcases many interesting pieces such as paper sculptures and media artworks. Children learn how to appreciate and create such works.

The second floor houses Galleries 3 and 4, and the Circular Gallery 2. Galleries 3 and 4 are made to view Korea’s art history from the 1950s. Visitors are able to see how Korean artists attempted to express the spirit of the times and retain their own identities during the tumultuous era. In Circular Gallery 2 a piece called “Outside of the Silent Planet” is currently in display. On the third floor are Galleries 5 and 6, which usually hosts special exhibitions. For the month of June the galleries are currently hosting an exhibition titled “A Forgotten War, the Division of Reality” to commemorate the month of veterans.

- The paintings show the devastation of the Korean War. One piece portrayed the street warfare on September 28, 1950 and it was just terrifying. There also was a painting of two or three people plodding along the railway, and I was really moved by the tragic ambience of the painting. Although six decades have passed since the Korean War, paintings such as these remind us of the tragedy and sorrow. I get to think again about the division and history of Korea.

The highlight of the National Museum of Contemporary Art is its outdoor sculpture garden. The museum stands on a site measuring 66,000 square meters, but the museum building takes up only half of the lot. The rest is taken up by the open air sculpture park, a lake, and resting places. The outdoor park serves as the venue for music concerts, dance performances, and poem recitals, fulfilling its role as a multifunctional cultural stage. But let’s not forget the key element of the garden, the sculptures. Here’s Ms. Choi Eun-ju to explain more.

Only half of the site area is taken up by the museum building. The rest is the outdoor sculpture park, which features many world-famous pieces, including the works by Tal Streeter, Nizuma Minoru, and Kwak In-shik. But Jonathan Borofsky’s “Singing Man” is the most popular attraction. It’s a really big sculpture, measuring more than four meters tall. It’s a silver-colored sculpture made with aluminum, and the statue seems to be humming a song. It’s a really pleasant experience to see all these wonderful sculptures amid green trees.

The open air sculpture park features some 60 pieces of famed sculptors. The pieces inspire different feelings in visitors depending on the viewing angle, weather, and people’s mood.

- The mountain, the sculptures, the building, and the trees are all intermingled. I love such a combination of urban and pastoral elements.
- These sculptures make me think. Just looking at the sculptures is wonderful, but the place makes me want to take slower steps and feel something deep inside.
-I was able to see the works of many artists. Thanks to our guide, I was able to understand the works better.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art is a perfect place to satisfy your intellect with the artworks and lift your spirit with the green natural surroundings. It is undoubtedly one of the greatest destinations for summer fun and education.