Samsung Electronics and the National Museum of Korea announced on Thursday that 20 selected works from the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-Hee’s art collection are now available worldwide through Samsung Art Store, expanding global access to landmark pieces of Korean art through digital platforms.
The release allows users of Samsung’s The Frame, The Frame Pro, and QLED television models to view high-resolution digital versions of major works from the Lee Kun-Hee Collection. While original pieces from the collection are currently being exhibited overseas, including at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., the Samsung Art Store initiative enables simultaneous global access through consumer display technology.
According to Samsung and the National Museum of Korea, the selected works were chosen to represent the breadth of Korea’s artistic heritage, spanning royal court paintings, literati landscapes, Buddhist scriptures, and genre scenes. The digital reproductions are available in 4K resolution via the National Museum of Korea page on Samsung Art Store.
Among the highlights is Clearing After Rain on Mount Inwang (National Treasure No. 216), regarded as a defining example of Joseon-era “true-view” landscape painting. Other featured works include Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks, a royal court painting symbolizing Joseon kingship; Ten Symbols of Longevity, associated with traditional aspirations for health and prosperity; and Sound of Autumn by Kim Hongdo, one of the most influential painters of the Joseon Dynasty.
Additional works include Banquet of King Yeongjo and Officials in Gyeonghyeondang Hall, Tiger and Magpie, Wrestling in the Afternoon, The Flower Garland Sutra (Avatamsaka Sutra), Vol. 15, and Viewing the Capital from the Seobinggo Icehouse, collectively reflecting Korea’s artistic, religious, and social traditions.
The digital release coincides with the National Museum of Korea’s major international exhibition, Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared, currently on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. The exhibition features more than 200 works from the Lee Kun-Hee Collection, including seven National Treasures, spanning approximately 1,500 years of Korean creativity. It is the largest exhibition of Korean art held in North America in over 40 years.
Following its Washington presentation, the international tour will continue at the Art Institute of Chicago from March to July 2026, and at the British Museum from September 2026 to January 2027. The 20 works released on Samsung Art Store will remain accessible until the conclusion of the overseas tour in early 2027.
Lee Kun-Hee, former chairman of Samsung Electronics, was widely known for his commitment to cultural preservation. In April 2021, his family, led by Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee, donated more than 23,000 artworks from his private collection to national institutions, including the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. The donation is considered one of the most significant acts of cultural philanthropy in Korea’s history.
Since then, the Lee Kun-Hee Collection has toured museums across Korea, drawing strong public interest and contributing to renewed engagement with traditional art. The Samsung Art Store release extends this effort beyond physical museum spaces, positioning digital platforms as complementary channels for cultural access.
Samsung Art Store is a subscription-based service available on select Samsung TV models, offering more than 4,000 artworks in 4K resolution from over 50 major museums worldwide, including the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Tate. Since 2024, Samsung has also served as an official display partner of Art Basel, integrating contemporary works into its platform.
Through the Lee Kun-Hee Collection release, Samsung and the National Museum of Korea are linking global exhibition initiatives with digital distribution, reflecting a broader shift in how cultural heritage is preserved, shared, and accessed worldwide.
