The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has launched the MMCA Research Fellowship, an international scholar-in-residence program aimed at strengthening academic research on Korean art and expanding its presence in international art historical discourse.
The fellowship is designed to provide selected scholars with research residencies in Korea, allowing access to MMCA’s collections, archives and exhibitions, as well as opportunities to engage with local researchers and artists.
Alexander Alberro, a professor of art history at Barnard College, Columbia University, has been selected as the inaugural fellow and will remain in residence for six months. His research during the fellowship will focus on Korean art, drawing on MMCA’s institutional resources and academic networks, according to the state museum.
Having arrived in Korea on Dec. 15, Alberro is scheduled to give two public lectures in March and June, in which he will present aspects of his research to a wider audience. As an art historian, Alberro's research spans modern and contemporary American art, Latin American and Latinx art, photography, conceptual art and institutional critique.
He earned his doctoral degree from Northwestern University and has held research fellowships from institutions including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Independent Study Program and the Howard Foundation.
“Beyond presenting Korean art, the museum has sought to expand the international scope of discourse surrounding it. The MMCA Research Fellowship will serve as a key platform in this effort,” said Kim Sung-hee, director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea.
“I hope that Professor Alberro, as the inaugural fellow, will bring new perspectives to the study of Korean art and help open pathways for its broader global dissemination.”
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