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53-766: The Mansudae Art Studio is an art studio in Pyeongcheon District , Pyongyang , North Korea . It was founded in 1959, and it is one of the largest centers of art production in the world, at an area of over 120,000 square meters. The studio employs around 4,000 people, 1,000 of whom are artists picked from the best academies in North Korea. Most of its artists are graduates of Pyongyang University. The studio consists of 13 groups, including those for woodcuts , charcoal drawings, ceramics, embroidery and jewel paintings, among other things. The studio has produced many of North Korea's most important monuments, such as

106-495: A German publication. In 2004, Klaus Klemp, deputy director of Frankfurt 's Museum of Applied Art, discovered and was impressed by Mansudae's craftsmanship. Klemp convinced Frankfurt's officials to hire the Mansudae Overseas Project Group to reconstruct Fairy Tale Fountain  [ de ] , an " art nouveau relic from 1910 that had been melted down for its metal during World War II " for which

159-709: A flat area, which water flows through. It was newly established as a guyŏk in October 1960 by the Pyongyang City People's Committee through a mandate of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea . In 1963, a part of Pyongchon-dong was separated to form Haeun-dong, a part of Kansong-dong was separated to form Ryukkyo-dong and parts of Puksong-dong and Pongji-dong were split off to form Pongnam-dong and Ansan-dong. In 1967, Ryukkyo-dong

212-409: A gallery of paintings ranging "from propaganda posters to lucid landscapes, flower bouquets, and even family portraits," as well as the occasional rare jewel painting. Jewel paintings are unique to North Korea and are made by grinding gems into powders that are put on a canvas by hand and never lose their strong shine. Mansudae Art Studio has created statues and sculptures that have been placed all over

265-545: A means to consolidate his administrative control of the various committees, agencies, and guilds established in Florence's Republican past so as to accommodate them all one place, hence the name uffizi , "offices". The construction was later continued by Alfonso Parigi and Bernardo Buontalenti ; it was completed in 1581. The top floor was made into a gallery for the family and their guests and included their collection of Roman sculptures. The cortile (internal courtyard)

318-737: A replica at the Mansudae Art Museum in Beijing, is a depiction of a legendary winged horse that could fly a thousand li (about 300 miles) a day. The horse has a male worker and a female peasant riding on its back, "symbolizing the heroic spirit of the Korean People" and heading into North Korea's future. Built in 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the North Korean Workers Party , the Monument to

371-434: A series of 10 paintings depicting North Korea's 1-0 win over Italy during round one of the 1966 World Cup ." Several of the paintings have a uniform style of depicting North Korea as a utopia . However, according to Klaus Klemp, the deputy director of Frankfurt's Museum of Applied Art, Mansudae artists can "produce kitschy knockoffs of several foreign genres" that are likely sold internationally. Mansudae's official website has

424-596: A soccer stadium, sauna, medical clinic, paper mill, kindergarten, and even a gift shop. The studio is a state-approved destination for foreign tourists, and the gift shop has enabled tourists to purchase North Korean art for years, as selling artwork is one of the North Korea state's easiest means of gaining foreign currency. The studio is made up of thirteen groups that manufacture different types of artwork (ranging from oil paintings to ceramics and bronze statues), manufacturing plants, and more than 50 supply departments that produce and test art materials such as paint. According to

477-674: A sports team in the annual Paektusan Prize Games of Civil Servants . The Mansudae Art Studio was established in Pyongyang , the capital of North Korea , on November 17, 1959, six years after the end of the Korean War . Before his death in 2011, the studio operated under Kim Jong Il's "special guidance." The Mansudae Art Studio's affiliation with Italy began in 2005 with Pier Luigi Cecioni, whose position as president of an orchestra in Florence, Italy , allowed him to come into contact with

530-640: Is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany , Italy. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of the largest and best-known in the world and holds a collection of priceless works, particularly from the period of the Italian Renaissance. After the ruling House of Medici died out, their art collections were given to

583-868: Is listed as being in Potonggang-guyok . It is also the location of the Mansudae Art Studio and School , the Pyongyang Chang Chol Gu University of Commerce  [ ko ] , the Pyongyang University of Printing Industrial Arts. For international visitors, it is the location of the Pot'ong Hotel and the Ansan Chodasso Guest House. The Pyongchon Revolutionary Site in P'yŏngch'ŏn 1-dong commemorates where Kim Il Sung chose

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636-548: Is often decided in advance to coincide with a holiday or anniversary', and to advance self-sustainability, substandard materials are used. P'yŏngch'ŏn-guyŏk is divided into 17 administrative districts known as dong . It is probably best known as the location of the Pyongyang Thermal Power Plant, in Saemaŭl-dong, which is the electricity and heating source for Pyongyang's central neighbourhoods and

689-532: Is one of the 18 guyŏk (political districts or wards) of Pyongyang , North Korea . It is bordered by the Taedong River in the south and the Pothonggang Canal in the north and Potong River in the west, and to the east by Chung-guyŏk , from which it is separated by the yard area of Pyongyang railway station . The name of the district, passed down from the former Pyongchon-myon , means

742-497: Is potentially indicative of a demolition of the apparently abandoned building. South Korean sources speculated that the collapse was carried in the news to be in a demonstration of the care of the government, in contrast to the Sewol disaster . While NK News initially claimed that the government was left with no choice but to reveal the accident due to foreigners knowing, the accident was not known until state media reported it and

795-464: Is so long, narrow, and open to the Arno at its far end through a Doric screen that articulates the space without blocking it, that architectural historians treat it as the first regularized streetscape of Europe. Vasari, a painter, and architect as well, emphasized its perspective length by adorning it with the matching facades' continuous roof cornices, and unbroken cornices between storeys, as well as

848-516: Is taller than the Statue of Liberty and Rio de Janeiro 's Christ the Redeemer , and depicts a half-nude African family of three in a socialist-realist pose. A former president of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade , hired the group because it was the only organization that he could afford. It took the work of around 150 Mansudae artists to complete. Senegalese unions protested about the foreign labour due to

901-721: The Mansudae Overseas Project Group , which was established in 1970s. This division is a thriving multimillion-dollar business that has created monuments, museums, stadiums, and palaces for several countries, including Algeria, Botswana, Cambodia, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Germany, Malaysia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Senegal, the Syrian Arab Republic, Togo, and Zimbabwe. According to Pier Luigi Cecioni,

954-803: The Medici . For many years, 45 to 50 rooms were used to display paintings from the 13th to 18th century. Because of its vast collection, some of the Uffizi's works have in the past been transferred to other museums in Florence—for example, some famous statues to the Bargello . A project was finished in 2006 to expand the museum's exhibition space some 6,000 metres (64,000 ft ) to almost 13,000 metres (139,000 ft ), allowing public viewing of many artworks that had usually been in storage. The Nuovi Uffizi (New Uffizi) renovation project which started in 1989

1007-846: The Monument to the Founding of the Korean Workers Party , the Chollima Statue , and the Mansu Hill Grand Monument . Its foreign commercial division is known as the Mansudae Overseas Project Group of Companies , which as of 2014 has created monuments for 18 African and Asian nations. All images of the Kim family are produced by the Mansudae Art Studio. Before his death, the Mansudae Art Studio

1060-643: The Sicilian Mafia carried out a car bomb explosion in Via dei Georgofili which damaged parts of the palace and killed five people. The blast destroyed five pieces of art and damaged another 30. Some of the paintings were fully protected by bulletproof glass. The most severe damage was to the Niobe room and classical sculptures and neoclassical interior, which have since been restored, although its frescoes were damaged beyond repair. On 22 July 2022, members of

1113-914: The Uffizi Gallery and the Vatican Museums , which he said the North Korean artists appreciated and recognized from their university studies. In 2009, Mansudae Art Studio's presence was made known in the 798 Art Zone in Beijing, China . The studio has its own space in 798 called Mansudae Art Museum , though unlike most museums many of the works in its collection are for sale and are comparable to paintings available on Mansudae's website. The museum sells both original and copied socialist-realist paintings, statues, and posters as well as stamps and postcards. The stamp and postcard themes range from nature to Kim family cars, but they mostly emphasize

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1166-486: The 50 per cent unemployment rate at the time, the Muslim majority of the population was offended by the exposed breast of the mother figure, and Wade had to have the heads redone as they looked Korean rather than African. Mansudae Art Studio may be the largest art factory in the world. The studio is extremely important in North Korea as it employs the best artists and is the only organization "officially sanctioned to portray

1219-547: The Florence Fine Arts Academy in Florence, and director of an exhibition center near Florence. The Cecioni brothers selected several Mansudae works to bring back to Europe and signed an agreement of exclusivity, which established Pier Luigi Cecioni as a liaison between Mansudae and the West. A provision of this agreement was that Cecioni would organize exhibitions of artwork from Mansudae in the West. Around

1272-466: The Founding of the Korean Workers Party is 164 feet tall and depicts three "truck-size" fists holding a hammer, a sickle , and a calligraphy brush respectively. The Mansu Hill Grand Monument is perhaps the most well-known image used to represent North Korea. The monument includes two bronze statues that are 20 meters tall, making them the largest statues in the country. The monument has changed over time, as it began with just one statue of Kim Il Sung and

1325-605: The Kim family dynasty." Positions at Mansudae are prestigious and desirable, especially as part of the Overseas Project Group. Mansudae workers sent overseas live under strict security, but they are fed regularly and earn better wages than most North Koreans. Since its founding in 1959, Mansudae has reproduced, reflected, and shaped the country's aesthetic . North Korea "spends much of its budget on Kim family deification ," which likely includes and thus funds Mansudae, as

1378-706: The London exhibition in 2007, decided to recreate the success of the 2007 exhibition. The exhibition was held at the North Korean Embassy in the United Kingdom . The Mansudae artists involved with the event stayed in London for two weeks beforehand to prepare and were available to paint for people while in England. Mansudae produces many paintings, including "all public images of Kim Jong Un , Kim Jong Il , and Kim Il Sung " and "One Can Always Lose ,

1431-630: The Uffizi in 2016, making it the most visited art gallery in Italy. At peak periods (particularly in July), waiting times for entry can be up to five hours. Advance tickets can be bought online, to significantly reduce the waiting time. In 2018 a revised ticketing system was introduced to reduce queuing times to just minutes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the museum was closed for 150 days in 2020, and attendance plunged by 72 percent to 659,043. Nonetheless,

1484-532: The Uffizi was twenty-seventh in the list of most-visited art museums in the world in 2020. Works from the Uffizi gallery collection are now available for remote viewing on Google Arts and Culture. The museum reopened in May 2021 following a renovation that included an addition of 14 new rooms and a display of additional 129 artworks, with the museum attempting to give more voice to historically under-represented groups including women and people of color. On 27 May 1993,

1537-972: The building site of the first ammunition factory built after the liberation of Korea . The Korean State Railway has a branchline of the P'yŏngnam Line in the guyŏk with a marshalling yard , Pyongyang Choch'ajang in Chŏngp'yŏng-dong, and the freight-only P'yŏngch'ŏn Station in Haeun 1-dong, providing a number of industries in the area with rail freight service. The district is served Chollima Line terminus Puhung station , tram line 3 , trolleybus line 5 , various bus routes and waterways. 39°00′00″N 125°43′12″E  /  39.00000°N 125.72000°E  / 39.00000; 125.72000 Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery ( UK : / juː ˈ f ɪ t s i , ʊ ˈ f iː t s i / yoo- FIT -see, uu- FEET -see ; Italian : Galleria degli Uffizi , pronounced [ɡalleˈriːa deʎʎ ufˈfittsi] )

1590-600: The building vanished between photos taken around midday on May 13 and 9:35 on May 14, confirming the report made by Rodong Sinmun , while on 13 May, a NGO was approached to provide temporary shelter. Prior to collapse, photos of the building taken in April and May reveal the building had only slightly changed, potentially indicating that the building had been abandoned. When the building collapsed, it did not damage nearby buildings, revealing it had likely collapsed vertically downwards, which according to experts interviewed by NK News,

1643-434: The city of Florence under the famous Patto di famiglia negotiated by Anna Maria Luisa , the last Medici heiress. The Uffizi is one of the first modern museums. The gallery had been open to visitors by request since the sixteenth century, and in 1769 it was officially opened to the public, formally becoming a museum in 1865. The building of the Uffizi complex was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici as

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1696-563: The climate activist group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) glued themselves to the glass protecting Sandro Botticelli 's Primavera demanding an end to fossil fuel usage. The painting was undamaged. On 13 February 2024, members of Ultima Generazione glued images of flooding in Tuscany in 2023 to the glass protecting Sandro Botticelli's Birth of Venus in protest over the Italian government's inaction on climate change. The painting

1749-535: The country, with three of the most important and famous works being the Chollima statue , the Monument to the Founding of the Korean Workers Party , and the bronze statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at the Mansu Hill Grand Monument . These monuments are common tourist destinations, and the statues of the deceased Kims are on most North Korean travel itineraries. Built in 1961, the Chollima statue, which has

1802-542: The fifteen pieces was socialist-realist, the Australian government denied the artists exceptions from a visa ban on North Korea because they came "from Pyongyang's propaganda machine and... are not welcome." On 10 October 2013, a popular Mansudae exhibition opened at a trade exposition in Dandong, China . The exhibition had no propaganda art and sold 30 pieces in its first three days. In 2014, David Heather, who curated

1855-415: The move is likely to be an overall shift in state media to report negative events to show the government as more accountable of issues. In the aftermath, Kim Jong Un visited injured soldiers at Taesongsan Hospital, possibly construction workers from the collapse. An unverified claim by defector suggested that the building was might have been over the height for the area and that the concrete mixture used

1908-596: The opening and it ran for six weeks. In 2009, Queensland Art Gallery approached Koryo Studio's Nicholas Bonner to commission works for the Asia Pacific Triennial the most prestigious exhibition for showing contemporary art from the Asia region. Despite much preparation by five invited Mansudae artists, an exhibition in Brisbane, Australia presented Mansudae artworks without their artists. Although only one of

1961-437: The original blueprints had gone missing. The Project Group was chosen for its early 1900s style, ability to recreate the fountain based on old photographs, and attractive prices. The fountain is the only commission that the group has won from a Western country. Perhaps the group's most notable monument is also one of its most controversial: Senegal's African Renaissance Monument . Unveiled in 2010, it stands at 50 meters, which

2014-502: The plan was carried out by his son, Grand Duke Francesco I . He commissioned the architect Buontalenti to design the Tribuna degli Uffizi that would display a series of masterpieces in one room, including jewels; it became a highly influential attraction of a Grand Tour . The octagonal room was completed in 1584. Over the years, more sections of the building were recruited to exhibit paintings and sculptures collected or commissioned by

2067-684: The power plant underwent extensive overhaul to restore its original generation capacity, and in 2021, various innovations were applied to keep the boilers operating at full capacity. Other notable industries in the guyŏk are the Pot'onggang Organic Fertiliser Factory in Chŏngpy'ŏng-dong and the Taedonggang Battery Factory in Saemaŭl-dong. The Pyongyang Trolleybus Factory is located in Pyongchon-guyok, although its address

2120-713: The relationship between North Korea and China (for example, there are stamps of every Chinese politician to have ever visited North Korea). The museum was the first North Korean art gallery abroad and is a North Korea-approved tourist destination. The museum's entrance is marked by a smaller version of Pyongyang's Chollima Statue sitting on top of a beige pedestal over six meters tall. Mansudae had its first overseas exhibition in London in July and August 2007 at La Galaria in Pall Mall curated by David Heather The then Ambassador attended

2173-569: The same time as the first of these exhibitions was organized, Cecioni began building the official web site of the Mansudae Art Studio. Cecioni facilitates the studio's international sales of small pieces of artwork, such as paintings, through this website, which offers a brief history of the studio, information about Mansudae exhibitions outside North Korea, a directory of Mansudae artists, and listings of paintings for sale. Some artists from Mansudae have been periodically sent abroad, including to Italy. In 2012, Cecioni accompanied some Mansudae artists to

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2226-497: The studio produces propaganda ranging from monuments to the party to the Kim pins worn by all North Koreans. Mansudae's propaganda output is essential to the North Korean government. According to Pier Luigi Cecioni, the studio is so important to the country and its government that it "has the status of a ministry [and] is not subject to the Ministry of Culture.” Phyongchon District P'yŏngch'ŏn-guyŏk (Phyongchon District)

2279-466: The studio's official website, the studio is not a school or a Chinese-style chain factory, but rather a high quality production center that employs over half of the nation's artists who have received the two highest artistic awards available in North Korea. The manager of the studio's website, Pier Luigi Cecioni, has also claimed that the Mansudae Art Studio receives profits from the website's sales directly, as it has economic autonomy. Mansudae Art Studio has

2332-654: The studio. Cecioni's orchestra was invited to perform at the Spring Friendship Festival held in Pyongyang. While in Pyongyang, Cecioni inquired as to whether North Korea had "any art center or gallery to show [him]," and was taken to Mansudae Art Studio which at the time was little known outside of North Korea. Cecioni offered to help the studio "do something in the West," and in January 2006 he returned to Pyongyang with his brother, an artist, Director of

2385-427: The success of this small cottage industry is due to Mansudae's "competence and experience to realize such huge projects, and it can send large teams of artists and workers to foreign countries for a long time." Preliminary work is done at the Mansudae Art Studio, and designs are tested to determine resistance to natural disasters . Some believe that the group has "no competition worldwide," as one Mansudae sculptor told

2438-406: The surrounding region. The plant has a design capacity of 700 MW and an estimated capacity of 500 MW, although in statistics released in 2009, it generated around 227 MW. Sanctions have restricted the amount of fossil fuel available, although they have also developed alternate forms of energy. The plant was built in 1960 with Soviet assistance, although in 1960, due to above average rainfall, there

2491-580: The three continuous steps on which the museum fronts stand. The niches in the piers that alternate with columns of the Loggiato are filled with sculptures of famous artists in the 19th century. The Uffizi brought together under one roof the administrative offices and the Archivio di Stato, the state archive. The project was intended to display prime artworks of the Medici collections on the piano nobile ;

2544-409: Was dedicated to him on his 60th birthday in 1972. In 2012, a statue of Kim Jong Il was added, only to be recast a few months later to change the statue's overcoat with a parka in honor of the anorak Kim Jong Il was commonly seen wearing throughout his life, which was labeled a "witness of history" upon his death and was talked about with much emotion. Mansudae Art Studio has an international division,

2597-546: Was divided into two administrative dong and a part of Pyongchon-dong was separated to create Saemaul-dong. In 1972, Pyongchon-dong and Saemaul-dong were both divided into two administrative dong . In 1989, Puksong-dong and Haeun-dong were both divided into two administrative dong . On 13 May 2014, a 23-story building under construction in Ansan 1-dong 'collapsed', with the following cleanup apparently lasting at most 4 days. According to tourist photos taken from Juche Tower ,

2650-603: Was progressing well from 2015 to 2017. It was intended to modernize all of the halls and more than double the display space. A new exit was also planned and the lighting, air conditioning and security systems were updated. During construction, the museum remained open, although rooms were closed as necessary with the artwork temporarily moved to another location. For example, the Botticelli rooms and two others with early Renaissance paintings were closed for 15 months but reopened in October 2016. Over two million visitors visited

2703-592: Was suboptimal. It was further alleged that water was leaking into the basement while 'rocks were protruding and piercing through the concrete', and that some factory managers siphon material for personal gain, leading to decreases in product quality. According to Associated Press interviews, the accident happened was because 'they broke the rules and methods of construction'. In the North Korean economics journal Kyongje Yongu , it stated that 'Technical regulations and construction methods are disregarded when projects are rushed to be finished by their completion date, which

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2756-522: Was sufficient electricity generated by the dams on the Yalu River but that was dependent on rainfall and thus sometimes unreliable. While the equipment in the plant has been aging, it was renewed by the supply of two new generators from China in 2018. Since the 2000s, various aspects of the power plant were updated, including the transformer yard, expansions to water treatment facilities, fuel storage area, settling ponds and rail facilities. In 2020,

2809-504: Was under the guidance of Kim Jong Il . Since 2009, the studio has had its own space also in the 798 Art District in Beijing, China, known as the Mansudae Art Museum. The studio consists of around 4,000 workers, approximately 1,000 of whom are artists aged from their mid-20s to mid-60s and selected from the best academies in the country, especially from Pyongyang University of Fine Arts . The studio takes up over 120,000 square meters, 80,000 of which are indoors. The campus-like studio includes

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