Plateau Museum, one of the three art museums run by the Samsung Foundation of Culture, will shut down permanently when its upcoming exhibition by Chinese artist Liu Wei closes in August.

The museum has to vacate the space, located on the first floor of the Samsung Life Insurance Co. headquarters, as the building was sold to local construction company Booyoung in January.

Samsung sold the 25-story, 87,000-square-meter building to the construction firm for some 500 billion won ($430 million) in January, according to a local media report. 


“It was decided that the museum would close as the building was sold,” said Park Min-sun, in charge of public relations at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, another museum run by the foundation.

“The museum will run until August because of the exhibition. The offices are moving out earlier than the museum,” Park added. The Liu Wei exhibition opens on April 28.

The museum opened in 1999 in an annexed glass space connected to the building with an aim to be a “cultural oasis in the middle of an office district.” It was called Rodin Gallery at the time, as the museum displays a permanent collection of two symbolic sculptures by Auguste Rodin -- “The Gates of Hell” and “The Burghers of Calais.” According to a local media report, the Samsung Foundation of Culture bought the two masterpieces for 10 billion won in 1994.

Where the two sculptures will be displayed after the museum closes has yet to be decided. 


“They are huge works of art. We haven’t decided where to place them,” Park said.

The Samsung Life Insurance Co. headquarters building is likely to be turned into a high-end hotel, according to a media report.

The 1,150-square-meter museum consists of a glass pavilion and two exhibition spaces, designed by American architect William Pedersen. The glass pavilion was inspired by Rodin’s “The Cathedral,” portraying two clasped hands. The museum, close to major corporate offices and government buildings near Namdaemun, was popular with office workers, who could view art exhibitions during lunchtime or after work.

It has hosted numerous exhibitions showcasing a wide spectrum of Korean contemporary art, shedding light on both emerging young artists and mid-career to established artists. Artists featured in the museum exhibition have included Lim Min-ouk, Jung Yeon-doo and Gim Hong-sok. Well-known international artists such as Takashi Murakami and artist duo Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset also held solo exhibitions at the museum.

The closing of the Plateau Museum leaves the Samsung Foundation of Culture with two museums -- Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Hannam-dong and Ho-Am Art Museum in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province -- each with different exhibition focuses. Leeum is dedicated to showing large-scale exhibitions that range from traditional to contemporary art, while Ho-Am Art Museum focuses on displays of artifacts and traditional art.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)