Unlike what the title may suggest, Highlights Cartier isn’t exactly an exhibition highlighting Cartier’s legacy; Rather, it showcases a collection of Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain’, an art patronage founded in 1984 which currently contains over 1,500 pieces created by more than 150 artists from around 50 different countries. Most of these pieces have been commissioned by Cartier for their various exhibitions.
Highlights marks the first occasion of the foundation's overseas exhibit. Fondation Cartier brought with them around 100 works from its collection in Paris, while a number of works by Korean artists Park Chan-wook, Park Chan-kyong, Lee Bul and Sunwoo Hoon have been commissioned for the occasion. Co-curated by Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) and Fondation Cartier, the 3-floor exhibition taking up the majority of SeMA’s exhibition space, will touch upon a variety of social issues related to economy, ecology and migration. Because the showcased volume of collection can be rather overwhelming, it may be a good idea to take a few days to view the whole exhibition, as it truly deserves.