MoMA opens first independent bookstore in Seoul's Gangnam district

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has opened its first independent bookstore in Seoul, South Korea, located in the Dosan Park district of Gangnam. The MoMA Bookstore is the result of a nearly two-decade partnership with Hyundai Card, a credit card company under Hyundai Motor Group. The collaboration began in 2006 when MoMA's online store launched in Korea, and since 2025, the partnership has included site-specific commissions for digital artists. The bookstore features over 1,100 volumes, including more than 200 MoMA exhibition catalogs and publications, along with a curated selection of design objects from the MoMA Design Store. The space, designed as a hybrid between a store and a gallery, features two large street-level windows, a minimalist interior with white undulating facade and backlit signage. The main room, with light tones and polished concrete floors, displays books on suspended metal shelves, while a second room with warm tones houses design items including apparel. MoMA's expansion into Seoul is driven by the city's vibrant cultural scene—Frieze Seoul recently concluded its fourth edition—and a record number of Korean visitors to MoMA New York in 2024, as confirmed by CFO Daniel Perez at the bookstore's inauguration. In 2027, MoMA's Primary Documents series will add a volume dedicated to Korean art.