SAN FRANCISCO — The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco has announced the appointment of Soyoung Lee as its new director and CEO, following the retirement of longtime leader Jay Xu.
Lee, a specialist in Korean ceramics, took on the role on Tuesday after Xu served as the museum’s director since 2008.
The formal title of her position is the “Barbara Bass Bakar Director and CEO,” named in honor of a noteworthy benefactor.
Prior to her current role, Lee was the chief curator at the Harvard Museums since 2018.
During her tenure, she was responsible for leading the museums’ collections building, exhibitions, and their museum training program.
Lee also served as the first curator for Korean Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she worked for 15 years before joining Harvard.
In a statement after her appointment, Lee expressed her admiration for the Asian Art Museum.
“What a singular honor to be leading this premier institution, and in the beautiful city of San Francisco, which has significant connections to the Asia-Pacific region and is home to a thriving pan-Asian community,” she said.
Lee added, “It is thrilling to imagine charting an audacious path for the future of Asian and Asian diasporic art and culture — for everyone to experience.”
Originally from Jakarta, Indonesia, Lee holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in art history from Columbia University.
Throughout her career, she has been actively involved in the art community, serving as a trustee on the Association of Art Museum Curators from 2017 to 2023.
Lee is also the author of several influential books, including “Diamond Mountains: Travel and Nostalgia in Korean Art.”
Salle Yoo, chair of the Asian Art Museum Foundation and the Asian Art Commission, described this as an “exciting moment” for the museum.
“As a leading scholar of Asian art and culture, Dr. Lee brings a deep understanding of what is happening in Asian and Asian American art now, its connections to the past, and a bold vision of where it may lead in the future,” Yoo stated.
According to a museum press release, Lee plans to spend her initial days focusing on building relationships within the Bay Area while listening and learning from different stakeholders.
She is scheduled to greet guests at the museum during its First Free Sunday event on May 4.
Jay Xu, who announced his planned retirement in 2023, has contributed significantly to the museum as an expert in Chinese Bronze Age cultures and archaeology.
Under his leadership, the museum embarked on the “For All” transformation project, which successfully raised $100 million for a new wing and pavilion that opened in 2021.
Furthermore, the museum’s endowment quadrupled under Xu’s guidance, reaching $85 million.
He was also responsible for a major rebranding of the museum in 2012 and expanded its mission to showcase Asian American art, culture, and history.
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