Why the Leeum Museum of Art Is a Must-See in Seoul (Even If You’re Not an Art Lover)
Last Updated on January 5, 2026
Looking for one of the best art museums in Seoul, the Leeum Museum of Art (리움미술관) should be high on your list. Located near Itaewon, this world-class museum provides a look at traditional Korean art, modern masterpieces, and contemporary works under one architecturally interesting roof (well three actually). It’s one of the few places in Korea where you can move seamlessly from Goryeo celadon ceramics to international contemporary artists in a single visit.
Plan your visit to the Leeum Museum of Art, one of the best art museums in Seoul:
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Basic Info
Address: 60-16 Itaewon-ro 55-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 용산구 이태원로55길 60-16)
By Public Transportation: Go to Hangangjin Subway Station, go to exit 1 and walk 100 meters. Turn right at Pace Gallery and walk 5 minutes up the hill.
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00am ~ 6:00pm
Admission: Free for the traditional Korean art collection display. The modern and contemporary art collection display and special exhibitions are charged separately, though an all-exhibition pass is also available.
Audio Guide: The digital guide can be rented for free from the information desk in the lobby. Note that you will be required to hand over your passport or ID, which will be returned to you when you return the device. Audio commentary is available in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese.
Amenities: Wheelchairs and strollers can be rented for free on the lobby floor of the museum. It also has a nursing room with sofas, cribs, and nursing cushions. Lockers are located on the lobby floor to the right of the information desk, and the cafe is on the left.
Website: https://www.leeumhoam.org/leeum
History and Architectural Prestige
The Leeum Museum of Art is one of the most important art museums in Seoul. The museum itself is an architectural landmark. Each of its three buildings was designed by a different world-famous architect: Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel, and Rem Koolhaas/OMA. Walking through the Leeum feels like moving through three distinct art worlds, each with its own mood, materials, and rhythm.
Operated for over 20 years, the museum’s permanent collection spans centuries, from ancient Korean artifacts to globally recognized contemporary art. In addition to its permanent displays, the Leeum regularly hosts special exhibitions featuring internationally acclaimed artists such as Anish Kapoor and Lee Bul. Even if you’ve visited before, the rotating exhibitions make it worth returning.
Three Buildings Make Up This Great Museum
Start From The Outside
Just outside the museum entrance, you’ll see the museum’s outdoor deck on your right. Since 2012, this space has featured Anish Kapoor’s Tall Tree and the Eye. This installation is scheduled to be replaced by Gabriel Orozco’s Garden: The Three Friends of Winter (working title), a nature-focused outdoor artwork slated to open on April 7, 2026.
Walk down the sloped pathway to enter the museum complex, where you’ll be greeted with a large circular space with a floor-to-ceiling media art screen. This central hub connects all three buildings and houses the cafe, gift shop, ticket counter, and lockers.
Museum 1 (M1)
M1 is for the traditional art enthusiasts. After scanning your ticket, take the elevator to the fourth floor and work your way down through ceramics, painting, calligraphy, metalwork, and Buddhist art.
Designed by Mario Botta, M1 is home to one of the Leeum’s most photogenic spaces: the rotunda. A white spiral staircase winds through the center connecting the gallery spaces. It has a skylight which illuminates the space with natural light. Narrow interior windows allow glimpses of visitors moving between floors, making it a favorite spot for architectural photography.
The exhibition journey starts with celadon ceramics from the Goryeo Dynasty. Here, each blue-green artifact is spaced out and dramatically lit giving you the opportunity to closely examine each piece.
Move down the stairs to the third floor and you’ll find an exhibition dedicated to buncheong, a type of white porcelain unique to Korea that was produced during the 15th and 16th centuries.
The second floor is dedicated to traditional Korean painting and calligraphy, showing prominent styles employed over the centuries and the first floor explores Korean Buddhist art, including paintings and metalworks.
Pro tip: The lobby area of M1 houses a Camel Coffee. Seating is scattered throughout the connecting corridor between buildings. While it’s not a quiet cafe experience, it’s a convenient place to grab a drink or take a short break during your visit.
Museum 2 (M2)
Museum 2 primarily showcases modern and contemporary art from the Leeum’s permanent collection, though it also hosts special exhibitions. Designed by Jean Nouvel, this building breaks away from the classic white-cube gallery style with walls clad in rusted stainless steel.
Large windows overlook the sunken garden, allowing natural light to filter into the exhibition spaces, even though parts of M2 are technically occupying the basement level.
The artwork is spread across two floors and features both international and Korean artists. The rotating collection displays allow visitors to discover lesser-known Korean artists alongside globally recognized names. Here, the works of Sol LeWitt and Richard Deacon sit beside the creations of Lee Ufan and Kim Chong-yung, showcasing the wide variety of art pieces in the Leeum collection.
Family-friendly tips: There’s a slightly hidden lounge area designed for visitors with kids, complete with colorful furniture and beautifully illustrated art books.
Child Education and Culture Center
Despite its name, the Child Education and Cultural Center isn’t immediately obvious unless you’re looking for it. After heading down the ramp to the basement level, double back to find an elevator that takes you to the first floor lounge and children’s library.
This airy space is split between a general lounge and Kids Lab, a children’s art library. The book collection includes beautifully illustrated books focused on art, creativity, and visual storytelling.
No kids? You’re still welcome to take a seat in the lounge area which offers tables and chairs, giving visitors a chance to just sit down and relax without the pressure of consumption.
Designed by Rem Koolhaas/OMA, this building features the dramatic Black Box space, which you enter from a lower corner, king of making it feel like you’re ascending into a spaceship. Though it’s a striking feature of the building, the Black Box is a relatively small space with most of the artwork displayed on the second basement level, or the Ground Gallery.
The Ground Gallery has an extremely high ceiling, which may seem an unusual detail to note, but studies have shown that high ceilings inspire feelings of freedom and creative thinking, making them ideal for gallery spaces. Both the Black Box and Ground Gallery have been used for solo shows by the likes of artists Olafur Eliasson and Do Ho Suh.
The Kids Lab
- Hours: 10:00am ~ 12:00pm and 2:00pm ~ 5:00pm
It may not be the cheapest museum experience in Seoul, but the Leeum Museum of Art is exceptionally well curated. With strong coverage of traditional Korean art, compelling modern and contemporary collections, and consistently high-quality special exhibitions, it’s easily one of the best art museums to visit in Seoul.
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