Starting in 1971, two years after its establishment, the museum has collected works of art, and each year adds historically
valuable and important works to its collection. In the early years, the museum’s collection was focused on modern arts, and
in the 1980s abstract art and works of international artists were actively collected. In the 1990s, the collection began to favor
a more collectable form of art, and began to focus on works by young artists rather than those of mainstream artists and
deceased artists. In the 2000s, with the supplementation of the collections in accordance with a re-evaluation of art history,
interest and collections in lesser-known genres, as well as experimental and avant-garde art forms such as engravings,
crafts and photography increased. The history of the National Museum of Contemporary Art’s collection has unfolded along
with the flow of Korea’s art and culture since the 1970s. Although there may be a slight time difference, the museum has
worked towards reflecting the contemporary aspect of the arts in its collections.
(865 Korean paintings, 3,643 Western paintings, 1,483 Engravings, 658 Sculptures, 69 New media works, and etc.)
