This exhibition focuses on a newly conserved Korean screen painting of Guunmong, or The Cloud Dream of the Nine, a popular late seventeenth-century novel. One of the best extant examples of this subject, the screen has undergone full-scale conservation treatment in Korea, restoring it to its original appearance. The exhibition explores the various stories this object has to tell: from the painting’s lively narrative to the story of how it came to the Museum, and the discoveries made through the conservation process. Ceramics and furnishings from the Joseon period (1392–1910) provide context for the setting in which genre paintings of this type may have been displayed and enjoyed in the nineteenth century. Made possible by a generous grant from the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, the exhibition highlights the Portland Art Museum’s international collaboration with scholars and conservators in Korea.
