On the 14th, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco announced that Korean curator Soyoung Lee has been appointed as the next Director and CEO of the museum. This marks the first time a Korean curator has been named to lead a major museum in the United States.

Soyoung Lee, who received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in art history from Columbia University, served as the first-ever curator for Korean art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for 15 years. During her tenure, she made significant contributions to raising the value and influence of Korean art within the broader American cultural and artistic landscape. Since 2018, she has been the Chief Curator at the Harvard Art Museums, leading the museum’s artistic vision for collections-building and exhibitions, and a museum training program.

Salle Yoo, Chair of the Museum Foundation and Asian Art Commission, commented on Lee’s appointment, saying, “Dr. Lee has demonstrated a profound understanding of the evolution of Asian and Asian American art, along with a vision for connecting it to the future. She has shown creativity and openness in engaging with broader audiences and making museum a place of connection.”

Located in the heart of San Francisco, the museum is home to one of the world’s finest collections of Asian and Asian American art, with more than 20,000 awe-inspiring works ranging from ancient ceramics to contemporary video installations. Over the past decade, the museum has expanded its efforts in collecting, researching, and exhibiting contemporary art. It also added 8,500 square feet of gallery space for special exhibitions.

References

• 샌프란시스코 아시아 미술관 보도자료 (Asian Art Museum Press Release)
• 연합뉴스, 샌프란 아시안 아트 뮤지엄 관장에 이소영 박사 임명, 2025.01.16

Ji Yeon Lee has been working as an editor for the media art and culture channel AliceOn since 2021 and worked as an exhibition coordinator at samuso (now Space for Contemporary Art) from 2021 to 2023.