The Guimet Museum in Paris will present ‘Chaekgori: Ideal Libraries in 18th-Century Korea’ from 17 September 2026 to 4 January 2027. The exhibition centres on chaekgori, a form of painting described as depicting ideal libraries.
The show turns to 18th-century Korea under the reign of King Jeonjo, when knowledge became an object of desire and representation. In chaekgori, the library provides the subject for that representation: an idealised setting through which learning and cultivated knowledge are pictured.
By concentrating on this tradition, the exhibition brings into focus a historical moment in which knowledge was not only valued but represented as an object of desire. ‘Chaekgori: Ideal Libraries in 18th-Century Korea’ is scheduled to open on 17 September 2026.
