Musée Guimet Explores Korean Trompe-l'Œil in Chaekgeori Exhibition

The Musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet in Paris presents an exhibition on chaekgeori, the Korean trompe-l'œil library painting tradition, running until January 4, 2027. The show examines a pictorial movement that dominated Korean art for two centuries, from the late 18th to the 20th century, and remains largely unknown in France. Originating at the royal court, King Jeongjo commissioned court painters in the late 18th century to create illusionistic bookshelves where knowledge is displayed but no volume is readable. The model came from Chinese imperial collections, while the perspective derived from Jesuit treatises brought to Beijing. The result, unique to Korea, was named chaekgeori, literally "books and objects." The movement later moved from the court to scholarly homes, incorporating everyday objects, fruits, and flowers, and freeing itself from the borrowed perspective. Compositions became floating and almost dreamlike, with painted libraries resembling waking dreams three centuries before the Surrealists. The exhibition includes loans from the National Museum of Korea, the Louvre, and the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore. It is presented as one of the finest ideas of the Parisian Asian season. The museum is located at 6 place d'Iéna, 75116 Paris, open daily except Tuesday, January 1, May 1, and December 25, from 10am to 6pm. Admission is €15, reduced €12, free for those under 26.