韩国国立现代美术馆最初建于首都首尔景福宫内，于1969年对外开放，1973年搬迁至同样位于首尔的德寿宫。此后, 由于公众对于艺术的认识和热情不断增加，美术馆需要扩大其展示空间，提供更便利的设施服务，1986年新的美术馆和露天雕塑花园在首尔附近的果川落成。随后，在1998年成立了国立现代美术馆分馆—德寿宫美术馆。凭借其便捷优越的地理位置和具有独创性的展览，国立现代美术馆现已成为韩国最具有吸引力的文化机构。

    韩国国立现代美术馆主要由核心塔, 中央展示厅，分布于三个楼层的七个辅助展厅，以及露天雕塑花园等构成。美术馆周围环境宜人，风景优美，其建筑既符合韩国传统审美特点，又可以满足各种国际性艺术展览的需求。位于博物馆内中心位置的是螺旋而上的核心塔，它直径为13.8米，高22.8米，顶部连接天窗，是美术馆展览空间的主要入口。1988年，韩国艺术家白南准的作品“越多越好”设于此处，由1，003个显示屏组成的7.5米高的电视塔，用来纪念韩国10月3日的建国日。在核心塔右边是中央展示厅，主要用于举办音乐会，舞会，艺术表演和招待会等活动。中央展示大厅右侧的第一展厅，由于其规整的空间结构，非常适合展示绘画、雕塑、工艺品，并且根据不同的布展要求其内部结构可以进行更改。而左侧的第二展厅主要用于展览最新的先锋艺术作品，特别是那些需要大型开放空间的作品。 根据展览需要，第一展厅、第二展厅以及中央展示大厅也可合并为一个整体区域，为需要较大空间的展览提供足够的场地。同样位于一楼的第七展厅有两个入口，可以分为两个空间，并与第一展厅相连。因为其相对较高，并拥有天光和良好的人工照明系统，因此常被用于展览那些对空间和照明有较高要求的当代艺术家的作品。位于二楼的第三、第四展厅主要陈列1950年-1980年期间受西方抽象主义、极少主义、行为艺术等影响、不同流派的韩国艺术家作品。三楼的第五展厅主要展出从20世纪70年代末开始越来越充满沉思和精神性的雕塑和单色绘画作品，同时也展出素描；对面的第六展厅目前主要分为两部分展览：工艺品和老一辈著名艺术家捐赠的艺术作品。

    长期以来，美术馆致力于系统整理并收集现当代国内外艺术作品，并用科学方法加以保存管理，同时进行分类整理，为今后的研究和教育工作打下基础。在1996年到1999年的这段时间里，该馆购藏了20世纪上半期韩国艺术家的100多件作品，为实现其成为现代艺术史重要分支奠定了基础。美术馆的馆藏作品旨在展现韩国当代主要美术运动和国际艺术发展的进程，并通过临时展，以及积极与其他国家美术馆举办交流展，较为完整地展现出当代艺术面貌。美术馆近期去办的主要展览包括：凯撒回顾展（1996年），韩国现代艺术一瞥（1998年），新千年韩国艺术家海外作品展（2000年）。除了展览外，美术馆还定期开展电影，戏剧，舞蹈，音乐等艺术活动, 使得公众能够全面地了解艺术文化，还举办与展览相关的讲座、研讨会，开设业余美术课程等，以满足公众对文化的需求。1990年, 美术馆开展了“移动的博物馆”项目，该活动通过直接到全国各地的教育机构，工厂，地方行政机构等举办巡回展览的方式，普及艺术文化，为文化发展作出贡献。

National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea

The National Museum of Contemporary Art was inaugurated in 1969 on the grounds of Kyungbok Palace in Seoul. In 1973 the museum was moved to Deoksu Palace, which is also in Seoul. Due to the public s growing awareness and desire for art and culture, the Museum was faced with the problem of the extension of its exhibition spaces. In 1986 a new museum and sculpture garden was inaugurated in Kwachun, just outside Seoul. Then, the Deoksugung Museum became the annex of the National Museum of Contemporary Art in 1998. Because of its small innovative shows and the convenience of its location in the center of Seoul, it has already become one of the most popular cultural institutions in Korea.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art consists of Ramp Core, Central Hall, Circular Gallery, Children s Museum, seven galleries and the Open-air Sculpture Garden. The architecture of the National Museum of Contemporary Art is a response to the demands for an international art showcase and for maintaining a traditional Korean aesthetic. The area surrounding the museum grounds presents a picturesque painting of a certain Korean lifestyle. As an annex for the National Museum of Contemporary Art, the Deoksugung Museum was established to showcase Korean modern art.

The National Museum's policy is to systematically collect the finest works by both modern and contemporary international and Korean artists, as well as employ scientific methods to conserve them. During the period from 1996 to 1999, the museum acquired over 100 works created by Korean artists during the first half of the 20th century. The museum's permanent collections present a survey of the major movements in contemporary Korean and international art. Temporary exhibitions, organized by the museum or through exchanges with museums in foreign countries, complete a whole picture of contemporary art. The major exhibitions held by the Museum in recent years includes: The Retrospective of Cesar ,1996; Glimpse into Korean Modern Painting , 1998; A Passage for a New Millemmium: Korean Artists of Overseas Exhibition,2000.

In addition to exhibitions, a variety of cultural activities, such as cinema screening programs, theater, dance and music, are regularly organized by the National Museum so that the public conceives of art and culture as a whole. As a response to the public's desire for continuing education in arts. each new exhibition is accompanied by a series of conferences. There are art classes for the general public, seminars in museology and apprenticeships for educators provided by the museum. In 1990, The Museum began a program called "Traveling Art Museum", consists of exhibitions and art classes that travel around the country, stopping in places like educational institutions, regional administration buildings and factories, where people who live away from cultural centers can also enjoy art and culture.