Soyoung Lee Appointed Director of Asian Art Museum San Francisco

Soyoung Lee has been appointed as the new Barbara Bass Bakar director and CEO of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, taking over from Jay Xu, who has been at the helm since 2008. Lee previously worked at the Harvard Art Museums as a curator starting in 2018 and dedicated 15 years to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as its inaugural curator for Korean art. She has also held the position of trustee for the Association of Art Museum Curators from 2017 to 2023 and will be a visiting scholar at Stanford University in 2024–25. Originally from Jakarta, Lee completed her undergraduate and Ph.D. studies in art history at Columbia University. In her statement, she expressed pride in leading such a significant institution, emphasizing San Francisco's ties to the Asia-Pacific region. Salle Yoo, chair of the Asian Art Museum Foundation and Asian Art Commission, commended Lee for her profound knowledge of Asian and Asian American art, her innovative approach to engaging wider audiences, and her commitment to the museum's mission. Lee will officially start her position in April.