Events

British Museum's Korea Exhibition: What to See in '2,000 Years of Creativity' (Oct 2026–Jan 2027)

AI-generated white moon jar on a low plinth in a softly lit gallery, with thin white lines and the handwritten note a moon jar in London; not a photo of the real exhibition.

AT A GLANCE

Exhibition
Korea: 2,000 years of creativity
Dates
Oct 1, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027 (British Museum listing)
Place
Joseph Hotung Great Court Gallery, British Museum, London
Tickets
Early bird from £14; under-16s free with a paying adult
Hours
Sat–Thu 10 am–5 pm, Fri 10 am–8:30 pm

The British Museum in London is showing “Korea: 2,000 years of creativity” from October 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027. It is not an exhibition you can see in Korea, but it is good news to see Korean culture presented this widely at such a famous museum. It is the museum’s first large Korea show since 1984, 42 years ago. Early-bird tickets start at £14. Checked on 2026-10-08.

The hero image is AI-generated and is not a photo of the real exhibition or its objects.

What is the exhibition?

It was prepared by the National Museum of Korea, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) and the British Museum. According to the British Museum, it draws almost entirely from the roughly 23,000 works that the family of the late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee gave to the two Korean museums in 2021. London is the third and final stop of a tour that began in Washington, D.C. and Chicago. Samsung is reported as a sponsor.

Reports say about 80,000 people saw the Washington show and more than 115,000 saw the Chicago one (Seoul Times News, in Korean).

Sections and highlights

The show runs in four chronological parts (Handmaker, in Korean).

  1. Ancient metalwork to Unified Silla: Bronze Age and metal crafts. The Bronze Age pieces from Daegu’s Bisan-dong, a National Treasure, were described as not shown on the American tour.
  2. Goryeo Buddhist paintings and celadon: Goryeo celadon and Buddhist art.
  3. Late Joseon painting: Jeong Seon’s National Treasure Inwang Jesaekdo (Inwangsan after rain), works by Kim Hong-do, and folk and court paintings such as Magpie and Tiger and Sun, Moon and Five Peaks. Magpie and Tiger became widely known through the animated film KPop Demon Hunters.
  4. Modern and contemporary Korean art: Artists such as Park Soo-keun and Kim Whanki, ending with a self-portrait by Seo Do-ho recently acquired by the museum.

Time Out London singled out the moon jars’ ghostly blue-white glow, a 9th-century bronze temple bell and a 17th-century lion sculpture. It gave the show 3 stars out of 5, praising the ancient objects and ceramics but finding the coverage of 20th-century history, such as Japanese rule and the Korean War, thin. Time Out London.

Object counts differ between reports. Figures cited include 79 items (164 pieces) from the National Museum, 15 from the MMCA and 6 from the British Museum. Outlets say “about 100 works” or “164 pieces” because they count differently.

Marker illustration of a moon jar, a hanging scroll painting and a bronze temple bell, labeled 2,000 years

Visiting in London

  • Place: British Museum, 44 Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG. Nearby Tube stations are Tottenham Court Road, Holborn and Russell Square.
  • Dates: October 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Some listing pages show October 8 as a start, so check the museum’s own page for your date.
  • Tickets: Early bird from £14; under-16s free with a paying adult; 2-for-1 student tickets on Fridays; concession and group rates.
  • Hours: Saturday to Thursday 10 am–5 pm, Friday 10 am–8:30 pm.

Check the museum’s page first.

How to see these works from Korea

The exhibition itself will not come to Korea, as far as I could confirm, but most objects belong to the National Museum of Korea and the MMCA. For more Korean culture news, see A Song for 100 Years of Hangeul Day.

Good for / not for

Good for

  • Anyone visiting London between October and January
  • People curious how Korean traditional art is presented on a world stage

Not for

  • Anyone hoping to see the same show in Korea.

FAQ

Will it come to Korea? This tour runs Washington, Chicago and London.

When does it end? January 31, 2027.

Can children go in? Under-16s are free with a paying adult.

Sources

Checked on 2026-10-08. The British Museum’s own page was blocked, so dates and prices come from search summaries. Prices and hours can change.