Dr. Hong-June You (유홍준), Director-General of the National Museum of Korea, gave a lecture to the University of Cambridge community on 29 September, attracting an audience of more than 140 people. The lecture has already received coverage from several major Korean news outlets, including The Dong-A Ilbo and The Asia Business Daily.
Dr. You is one of Korea’s most prominent figures in the arts and cultural heritage. Under his leadership, visitor numbers at the National Museum of Korea have risen dramatically, placing it the third most visited museums in the world and ahead of the British Museum in annual attendance. He is also a bestselling author and widely respected art critic whose books on Korean art and cultural heritage have sold more than five million copies.
Dr. You’s visit to Cambridge coincided with the opening of a major special exhibition of Korean art at the British Museum on 1 October, organised with the support of Samsung. The exhibition represents a significant presentation of Korean art at the British Museum, bringing together outstanding works spanning Korea’s long artistic and cultural history.
Before his lecture at Cambridge, Dr. You visited the Fitzwilliam Museum, where he met with its Director, Luke Syson, to discuss opportunities for future collaboration between the Fitzwilliam Museum and the National Museum of Korea, particularly in relation to the Fitzwilliam’s Korean ceramics collection.
Dr. You also created a special drawing and calligraphy work on a paper fan as a gift to the Korean Studies programme at Cambridge. The fan will be displayed in the AMES Library during October.
