From the 18th century to the K-Pop wave, discover the roots of an aesthetic that has conquered the world!
As a major cultural power, South Korea now shapes trends and inspires a globalized generation. At the forefront of this wave, K-Beauty imposes a holistic approach to beauty, typically Korean, and establishes a true aesthetic. Going beyond simple cosmetics, it forges new norms as well as striking and singular imagery. Bringing together masterpieces from the Guimet Museum's collections and major South Korean institutions (paintings, photos, advertisements, dresses and beauty accessories from the 18th century to the present day), the "K-Beauty" exhibition decodes these codes and shows how they fit into a secular tradition, between balance and virtue, nature and sophistication. At the end of the 18th century, Korea, dominated by the Neo-Confucian current, celebrated a particular feminine aesthetic: fluid clothing, pale skin, refined makeup and hairstyles. The painters who immortalized these beauties, including Shin Yun-bok, participated in the development of a visual heritage that has had a lasting influence on Korean popular culture. This refined culture, where cosmetics draw from traditional pharmacopoeia, links beauty, harmony and inner balance. Marked by successive foreign dominations and influences, the 20th century in Korea saw the emergence of new aesthetic codes. Photography, cinema and the nascent cosmetic industry disseminated and anchored these new norms, while the "Korean economic miracle" placed heritage, art and cosmetics at the heart of cultural discourse. From the 2000s onwards, Hallyu (the Korean wave) cemented South Korean soft power: K-Beauty, blending tradition and innovation, marked cinema, fashion, literature but also K-Pop, and conquered the entire world. Through this exhibition, visitors will discover how a specifically Korean aesthetic was consolidated, some of whose canons - forged since the late Joseon kingdom (1392-1910) - have retained their appeal to this day and have been the subject of tributes and numerous reinterpretations. "K-Beauty" highlights the evolution as well as the permanence of the concept of Korean beauty, from the second half of the 18th century to the contemporary globalized world.
Price: Ticketing opening soon.
Source: paris.fr — photo: Seoul National University Museum.