Independent Collectors
KOO HOUSE MUSEUM
Exhibition venue with the theme ‚Living with Art‘
![Ugo Rondinone, Big Mind Sky, 2017 Erwin Wurm, Big Disobedience, 2016 Courtesy of Koohouse Museum](/site/assets/files/26752/2023-08-15_11-40-15_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg?v=1057394575 640w, /site/assets/files/26752/2023-08-15_11-40-15_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.jpg?v=2018761310 1024w)
KOO HOUSE MUSEUM is a private museum founded by Jungsoon Koo, a first generation graphic designer in Korea and president of the company ‚Design Focus‘, in 2016. She presents her art collection, which consists of ca. 500 artworks, in the outer suburbs of Seoul in Gyeonggi-do.
![Kisoo Kwon, Fire Flower, 2007 (left) James Turrell, Atlantis, 2019 (right) Courtesy of Koohouse Museum](/site/assets/files/26755/2023-08-15_11-41-06_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/26755/2023-08-15_11-41-06_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
Jungsoon Koo has been collecting artworks, furniture, design objects for almost 50 years. Her art collection comprises works by David Hockney, Katherine Bernhardt, Daniel Burren, Doho Suh, Max Ernst, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Choi Jeong Hwa, Michael Craig-Martin, Katharina Fritsch, Damien Hirst, Gary Hume, William Kentridge, Tony Oursler, Paik Nam-June, James Turrell and many other artists.
![Courtesy of Koohouse Museum](/site/assets/files/26757/2023-08-15_11-41-45_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/26757/2023-08-15_11-41-45_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
![David Hockney, Pictures at an Exhibition, 2018 Courtesy of Koohouse Museum](/site/assets/files/26757/2023-08-15_11-41-59_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/26757/2023-08-15_11-41-59_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
The collector conceived the exhibition venue with the motto ‚Living with Art‘ and her collecting philosophy is ‚Artworks are not for possessing but for sharing‘. The building was designed by 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale Golden Lion Award-winning Architect Minsuk Cho. The artworks are placed in a home-like atmosphere so that visitors can experience the art pieces instead of just viewing them.
![Daniel Buren, 9 Isosceles Triangular Prism and 9 Flat Mirrors-No. 1, 2015 Thomas Heatherwick, Spun Chair, 2010 (front) Courtesy of Koohouse Museum, Photo: Park Chan Woo](/site/assets/files/26760/2023-08-15_11-42-30_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/26760/2023-08-15_11-42-30_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
![Andy Yoder, Licorice Shoes, 2008 (left) Do Ho Suh, Gate-small, 2003 (center) Laurent Martin ‚Lo‘, Bass Key, 2016 (right) Courtesy of Koohouse Museum](/site/assets/files/26760/2023-08-15_11-42-42_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/26760/2023-08-15_11-42-42_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
The museum is divided into eleven showrooms named after typical family house rooms such as the Living Room, Library, Attic in its two-story building. And there is also a special room called ‚Jean Prouvé room‘. As the name says, the room is a tribute to French architect and designer Jean Prouvé filled with his furniture in her collection and the room has an extra bathroom.
![‚Jean Prouvé room‘, Courtesy of Koohouse Museum](/site/assets/files/26762/2023-08-15_11-43-19_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/26762/2023-08-15_11-43-19_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
Visitors can also explore her art book collections in the ‚Library‘ sitting on a sofa and a bench designed by George Nakashima.
![Xavier Veilhan, ‘Mobile (Le Corbusier). 2013 Courtesy of Koohouse Museum](/site/assets/files/26764/2023-08-15_11-43-52_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/26764/2023-08-15_11-43-52_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
The collector Jungsoon Koo says, „I want visitors to get inspired by how I place the art-works in a house so that they can get encouraged to acquire artworks for themselves to enjoy them at their homes.“.
The artworks in the permanent exhibition are regularly replaced and the museum also organizes special exhibitions, in which artworks by invited artists are on view.
![OBBA, The Oasis, 2016. Courtesy of Koohouse Museum, Photo: Park Chan Woo](/site/assets/files/26766/2023-08-15_11-44-34_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.640x0.jpg 640w, /site/assets/files/26766/2023-08-15_11-44-34_koo-house-museum_independent_collectors.jpg 1024w)
Text by Jiyoung Kim