Beyond Line: The Art of Korean Writing

(Los Angeles—May 14, 2019) The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents Beyond Line: The Art of Korean Writing, the first major U.S. survey to examine the history of Korean calligraphy. Beyond Line explores the role of calligraphy in Korean society by looking at the lives and legacies of writers from prehistory until the present day, a narrative spanning nearly 2,000 years. Featuring  early 90 works, the exhibition focuses on the people—royalty, scholars, diplomats, monks, and artists—who produced calligraphic works in a variety of mediums including paper, stone, ceramic, wood, metal, lacquer, and textile. The exhibition demonstrates the important historic and social role of writing and calligraphy in Korean society and how calligraphy has developed as an art form throughout Korean history.

Beyond Line is curated by Dr. Stephen Little, Florence & Harry Sloan Curator of Chinese Art and Head of the Chinese, Korean, and South and Southeast Asian Art Departments, and Dr. Virginia Moon, Assistant Curator of Korean Art. Accompanying the exhibition is a fully illustrated catalogue with essays by curators and academics, making this the first published overview of the history of Korean calligraphy in any Western language. Beyond Line is the first in a series of exhibitions as part of The Hyundai Project: Korean Art Scholarship Initiative, a key element of LACMA’s ongoing 10-year partnership with Hyundai Motor Company. The Korean Art Scholarship Initiative is a global exploration of traditional and contemporary Korean art through research, publications, and exhibitions.

Press Images
Installation Views