Art Collector of Colonial Korea: Pak Yŏngch’ŏl’s Art Collecting and Museum

Abstract

Pak Yŏngch’ŏl (1879-1939) was a high-ranking government official, businessman and prominent art collector during the modern period. After Pak’s passing in 1940, his family donated Tasan mun’go (the Tasan Collection) to Keijō Imperial University in accordance with his will. The collection was comprised of 115 artworks, which included calligraphy, paintings, and craft items, along with a fund of 20,000 won. Pak’s financial support laid the foundation for the establishment of the Keijō Imperial University Museum two years later. Both the donation of his collection and the subsequent founding of the museum distinguish Pak Yŏngch’ŏl from contemporary Korean collectors. This study sheds light on Pak Yŏngch’ŏl’s character as an art collector and his perception of the museum based on a detailed investigation of the Tasan Collection housed at the Seoul National University Museum.Pak Yŏngch’ŏl did not actively participate in the appreciation and collection of art until the age of fifty. He began collecting art around 1928, coinciding with his appointment as the vice president of Chosŏn Commercial Bank. Pak then spent the next decade focused on building his collection. This study focuses on Pak Yŏngch’ŏl’s inspection tour of European countries in 1928, which was the catalyst that spurred his considerable devotion to the collection of art. During the tour, Pak Yŏngch’ŏl had the opportunity to experience various museums symbolizing modern civilization in Europe. The Louvre Museum in particular, which was first opened to the public and renown for its outstanding collection, seemed to have informed Pak of the value of art. The cultural treasures exhibited in the public spaces of museums would have reminded Pak that the preservation of historical artifacts is one of the indicators of civilization.In the pre-modern period, the appreciation and collection of calligraphy and painting were typically private activities limited to the individual’s personal domain. However, the political and social changes brought about in the modern period redefined art collecting within a public context. Pak Yŏngch’ŏl, who formed a collection and donated it with the purpose of establishing a museum, epitomizes the shift in perceptions of art collection in Colonial Korea.