South Korean Museum Refuses To Return Loaned Artworks From Russia Early

It appears that the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has spilled over to other facets of society, with the art world taking a stance against the tragic invasion.

South Korea’s Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, slated to run a Kandinsky, Malevich & Russian Avant-Garde exhibition, has denied requests from Russia for an early return of the artworks.

According to The Korea Times, a co-host of the exhibition, the presentation comprises 75 paintings from 49 notable Russian and Soviet artists, such as Alexander Rodchenko, Natalia Goncharova, and Wassily Kandinsky.  These pieces have been loaned to the country from four Russian museums, including the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum, Krasnoyarsk Surikov Art Museum, and Far Eastern Art Museum.

An official from the Yekaterinburg Museum had recently reached out to its South Korean counterparts, requesting an early closure of the exhibition due to “the difficult political situation” that has unfolded. 

However, Seoul curators have denied the request, stating firmly that the show will remain open till its agreed date of April 17. 

“We will adhere to the contract and run the exhibition until the promised date,” a spokesperson said. 

As per ARTnews, it appears Russia has tried to prematurely shut down several exhibits across Europe as well, with the country asking for the return of over 20 works from a museum in Milan, Italy. 

“When I read the letter I felt bitter because culture should be protected from war but these are difficult times,” Domenico Piraina, Director of Palazzo Reale, told Reuters. 

Additionally, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris has also refused to shutter its exhibition of pieces from 19th-century Russian collectors featuring works acquired by Mikhail and Ivan Abramovich Morozov. 

[via ARTnews and The Korea Times, cover image via Zz3701 | Dreamstime.com]