With in the context of the Asian art galleries, the new Arts of Korea Gallery is designed to provide a discrete space that conveys the character and spirit of Korean culture.  A diffused, natural light washes the white surfaces of the gallery to create an atmosphere of openness and light representative of traditional Korean architecture.  The non-reflective glass display cases lining the walls of this square room provide for the flexible display of ceramics, painting, and sculpture.  A central partition allows for a variety of exhibition configurations, including the display of larger scroll paintings.  The white oak wood flooring, which is based on a traditional temple design, extends into the display case, offsetting the physical separation between object and viewer by suggesting a sense of continuous space.  A removable screen of mylar within the display case, which recalls the translucent quality of rice paper, allows for a more intimate view of smaller objects.  Door frames crafted in blackened steel plate mark the two entrances to the Arts of Korea Gallery, from the Charlotte C. Weber Galleries for Ancient Chinese Art, to the west, and the Florence and Herbert Irving Galleries for the Arts of South and Southeast Asian Art, to the east. 

     The Arts of Korea Gallery was designed by Kyu Sung Woo, a leading architect who has built extensively in both Korea and the United States.  Among his projects are the 1988 Olympic Village in Seoul, and recently the Whanki Museum in Seoul and Harvard University Faculty Housing in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Born in Seoul in 1941, Mr. Woo began his private practice in 1978 as a principal of Woo and Williams and later formed Kyu Sung Woo Architect, Inc.  He has been published widely and has taught at MIT and at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. 

     The construction project was managed for the Metropolitan Museum by J. Nicholas Cameron, General Manager for Operations, with design planning by Jeffrey L. Daly, Chief Designer.  Further design work was done by Michael Batista, Exhibition Designer, with graphics by Jill Hammarberg, Graphics Designer, and lighting by Zack Zanolli, Lighting Designer.