EUGENE–Robert and Sandra Mattielli of Portland will give a free gallery talk entitled "Collecting Korean Art" at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 19, for the MusEvenings! program at the University of Oregon Museum of Art, 1430 Johnson Lane.

The Mattiellis have loaned objects from their art collection for "The Realm of Revelation: Vision and Imagination in Later Korean Art," which opens Jan. 15 and will continue on display at the UO museum through April 9. Some of their collection previously has been shown at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, the Seattle Art Museum and the Portland Art Museum.

In 1958, following civil service assignments in Washington State and Panama, Robert Mattielli, accompanied by his wife Sandra, went to Seoul, South Korea, as director for the 8th U.S. Army Arts and Crafts Program. He retired from that position in 1988 and moved to Portland.

During those 30 years in Korea, Mattielli collected all sorts of artifacts, from pottery shards and farming implements to the more esoteric arts. Some of his "collecting" included going through recycle piles and other forms of rescue work as well as becoming a trusted friend of a number of itinerant dealers who searched out old stuff in the villages. This kind of serendipitous collecting probably no longer exists in modern Korea.

"The Realm of Revelation" was organized by Charles Lachman, an associate professor of art history and the museum’s associate curator of Asian art. Drawing on works in the art museum’s collections and on the objects loaned by the Mattiellis, the exhibition explores the idea that many Korean artists of the 19th and 20th centuries functioned essentially as visionaries, using their art to reveal otherwise invisible aspects of the world.

The exhibition consists of traditional folding screens, hanging scrolls and fans, as well as an unusual banner and several intricately folded prints.

The University of Oregon Museum of Art is a nonprofit state institution supported by the generosity of its membership and by grants from the Oregon Arts commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Operating funds also are provided by the Horton, Museum of Art, Culp, Krause and Autzen endowments. Additional funding for this exhibition was provided by a Lane County Tourism Special Projects Grant.

Accessible to people with disabilities, the Museum of Art is open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday and from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Suggested admission is $3, except on Wednesday evenings when the MusEvenings! program offers free extended viewing hours from 5 to 8 p.m. Museum members, students, UO employees and children are admitted free.

For information, browse http://uoma.uoregon.edu or call (541) 346-3027.

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