Korean modern and contemporary art has only recently been the object of scholarly study.This paper will provide a brief survey of relevant major exhibitions, resulting symposia and catalogs, notable book publications, and recent dissertations to outline the present state of studies on Korean modern art in the U.S.Attention, at least in terms of museum exhibitions, has focused on the recently trendy contemporary art. While adding to the existing literature on Korean contemporary art in English, the majority of the essays that accompanied the exhibition catalogs were straightforward, almost biographical discussions of the artists being featured rather than more critical engagements with the artists’ philosophies and works within the context of art historical issues. Still, the impact of such art exhibitions in the U.S. is undeniable. What is acutely missing from the selected exhibition list noted are exhibitions on Korean modern art, as defined by the arts and scholarship of the early 20th century produced after 1910 and encompass the major Korean art movements of art including informel, monochrome, and minjung misul, and very few symposia and conferences have been organized to address such issues of Korean modern art. Scholars continue to often cite the language barrier as one of the ongoing difficulties in pursuing meaningful research.While language barriers remain, a possible solution to encouraging scholarship goes deeper than simply having more publications in English?rather, the quality of information provided is vital to the kind of research that is produced as professors of art history specializing in Korean art in the U.S. find it continually difficult to locate quality writings in English on Korean modern and contemporary art. While books of collected essays on Asian art have slowly begun to include essays on Korean modern and contemporary art, recent research as represented by the kinds of dissertations completed in the U.S. is slowly growing.
An existing problem is the lack of available mentors in the U.S. specializing in Korean art that has resulted in a situation where American graduate students who are determined to complete a dissertation in this nascent field must ally themselves with advisors who cannot guide them in terms of content and resources that would directly benefit their research. As the number of faculty specializing in Korean modern and contemporary art is still non-existent, resulting practical mentor relationships only serve to confirm that the field of Korean art history in the U.S. is still in its infancy. As it stands, what must not be forgotten is that Korean modern and contemporary art is a burgeoning field in the U.S.; the challenges and limitations noted are “growing pains” that accompany any discipline that is making its mark outside of the main country.