Max Hollein, director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Courtesy of The Met

NEW YORK — “If there's one thing I recommend to everyone at The Met, it's this: come here to ‘get lost,'” says Max Hollein, director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

“The Met is a labyrinth of wonders, miracles and experiences. Don't come with a set plan — be a flaneur, stroll around and let yourself discover things that surprise you, enlighten you, things you hadn't planned to see,” Hollein told The Korea Times during an interview at his office in October.

In The Met's maze-like design, one gallery flows into another, drawing visitors into an endless journey where unexpected connections abound. This spirit of exploration continues in the Arts of Korea gallery, where The Met's dedication to Korean art shines. Here, visitors experience a wide spectrum of Korea's culture, reflecting the 154-year-old museum's mission to honor heritage while fostering contemporary dialogues in art.

Installation view of "Lineages: Korean Art" exhibition at the Art of Korea gallery of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York / Courtesy of The Met

Arts of Korea gallery

“Korean art has been part of the museum from almost the very beginning,” Hollein said.

The first works of Korean art to enter The Met collection were eight musical instruments — part of the gift of the Crosby Brown Collection in 1889. The Met's connection to Korean culture only grew stronger as additional objects arrived through the 20th century, paving the way for a dedicated gallery space.

The opening of the Arts of Korea gallery in 1998 marked a significant milestone, establishing a permanent home for Korean art within the museum.

"It was an important moment for our engagement with Korean art … The Korea gallery back then was a major undertaking, very much supported also by Korea,” Hollein said, noting the support from the Korea Foundation and the Samsung Foundation of Culture.

Twenty-five years later, The Met celebrated its commitment to Korean art through the recently concluded "Lineages: Korean Art at The Met" exhibition, curating a broad sweep of Korean art from ancient celadons to contemporary works.

However, as Hollein points out, “Korean art also lives across the museum" in various collections — from photography and modern and contemporary art to musical instruments and arms and armor. This broad engagement reflects The Met's commitment to incorporate Korean art as part of a wider cultural dialogue rather than relegating it to a single, isolated category.

Installation view of "Lineages: Korean Art" exhibition at the Art of Korea Gallery of the Metropolitan Museum of Art / Courtesy of The Met

Expanding contemporary art

The juxtaposition of past and present in the "Lineages" exhibition accentuates The Met's vision.

“We're not only injecting contemporary art, but really injecting a contemporary viewpoint ... how we look at culture, how we look at cultural development and how cultures intersect and connect," Hollein said.

The Met plans to construct a new wing for modern and contemporary art, set to open by 2029-30. With The Met's physical footprint now fixed, expanding into the future means reimagining existing spaces to double the area dedicated to 20th- and 21st-century art. This expansion will allow The Met to tell “a much more complex and richer story” of the last 120 years.

"(The new wing) comes not only with a much more global perspective, but also trying to show how art is so connected with tradition and how it breaks up off with it. An institution like The Met can really show contemporary art in the context of the past and also where it's singling toward the future," the director said.

This outlook includes continuously engaging with Korean artists and building The Met's collection of Korean contemporary art. These works will be featured not only in the Arts of Korea gallery but also in the new modern wing, sparking dialogue across cultures and time periods.

Installation view of "Long Tail Halo" by Lee Bul, the Genesis Facade Commission at the Metropolitan Museum of Art / Courtesy of the artist

"The recent Genesis Facade Commission by Lee Bul is a signal and a symbol of that," Hollein said.

The Facade Commission, a high-profile project that reimagines the museum's iconic exterior as a canvas for modern installations, has been one of The Met's boldest steps into contemporary art.

“(The facade is) one of the windows of New York ... When we started to initiate these facade commissions, it was clear that it would be a challenge as well as an opportunity, both for the artist as well as the audiences," he said. "It shows that The Met has always and will continue to be engaged in a broad and sometimes playful way with contemporary art."

The current installation by Korean artist Lee Bul, titled "Long Tail Halo," reflects this idea.

“When we asked her to do this, we thought she would be the absolute right artist," the director said. "In Lee Bul's case, sculptural practice, history and future, the ambiguity of it is all embedded in her work ... It's out of respect of her being one of the great artists of our time, but also her deep understanding of of sculpture, sculptural tradition and how she challenges that with her work."

Installation view of "Long Tail Halo: CTCS #1" by Lee Bul, the Genesis Facade Commission at the Metropolitan Museum of Art / Courtesy of the artist

Vision for future

At its core, The Met is a private foundation, sustained by philanthropy and the generosity of its supporters.

"We build new buildings. We are very active in programming — 40 exhibitions a year. We acquire about 2,000 objects a year. And all of that is fueled by philanthropy," Hollein said.

These funds come in many forms — endowments, direct gifts from private collections and donations for specific acquisitions.

An example of this philanthropic impact is the upcoming "Colorful Korea: The Lea R. Sneider Collection" exhibition in the Arts of Korea gallery, opening in December. This exhibition not only celebrates new works entering The Met's collection but also reflects the unique perspectives and tastes of private collectors.

"In essence, it's a manifestation of an individual cultural dialogue, which is private, and, to a certain extent, sometimes idiosyncratic and it never tells the whole story ... We tell (the visitors) a more holistic and also complex story," the director said, noting how these individual collections contribute to the museum's broader narrative.

"It is part of the identity of The Met, because The Met is basically the outcome of collectors and collections coming to this institution in the last 150 years."

Installation view of "Abetare" (2024) by Kosovar artist Petrit Halilaj, the Roof Garden Commission at The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Courtesy of The Met

As The Met looks to the future, Hollein envisions it as a dynamic institution that fosters cultural dialogues and shared heritage, supported by the expertise of its 140 curators and its extensive collection of 1.5 million objects.

"Our future will be to continue to support that, but also show the cultural dialogues and connections between different cultures, between different regions and areas and how we have a shared human heritage," Hollein said, noting that those interpretations and contextualizations will come "more and more to the fore."

This approach will not only deepen visitors' understanding of Korean art, but also highlight its connections to Chinese and Japanese art. Hollein added, “Korean contemporary art is also a trailblazer for global development,” recalling how Lee Bul's work had a profound impact in New York City in the 1990s.

In line with this vision, The Met is planning a transformative update over the next few years, with extensive changes to the museum's layout.

“About one quarter of the entire museum will change … in regard to how we present it, with what we present and how we tell our stories and narratives,” Hollein said.

This renewal will make The Met's displays more diversified, complex and contextualized, grounded in “a very contemporary viewpoint" as Hollein aims The Met to become an institution that honors its legacy while remaining attuned to the modern world — an evolving museum where visitors can engage deeply with art from Korea and beyond, discovering the rich, interconnected cultures.