Soyoung Lee has been named the new CEO of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, the largest Asian-focused museum in the United States.
The announcement was made on January 14, with her official tenure as CEO and Director beginning in April. She will succeed Jay Xu, who has led the institution since 2008.
The San Francisco Asian Art Museum holds a special connection to the Korean community. In 1995, Lee Jong-moon, chairman of Ambex Venture Group, made headlines by donating $15 million to the museum.
Lee is widely recognized for her pivotal contributions to promoting Korean art and culture in the United States. She served as the first curator of Korean art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for 15 years, significantly broadening awareness and appreciation of Korean cultural heritage.
![Soyoung Lee, newly appointed Barbara Bass Bakar Director and CEO of the Asian Art Museum [Courtesy of Asian Art Museum]](https://www.koreadailyus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Dr.-Soyoung-Lee-newly-appointed-Barbara-Bass-Bakar-Director-and-CEO-of-the-Asian-Art-Museum.-Photograph-by-Marvin-Smith.-1920x1080_v2-1.jpg)
Since 2018, Lee has been the Landon and Lavinia Clay Chief Curator at the Harvard Art Museums. In this role, she oversaw initiatives to expand collections, design exhibitions, and develop educational programs aimed at training the next generation of museum professionals.
In a statement, Lee expressed her enthusiasm for the new role: “It is an honor to lead this museum in San Francisco, a city deeply connected to the Asia-Pacific region. I look forward to creating a future where people worldwide can experience the richness of Asian and diasporic art and culture.”
Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, Lee has lived in Seoul, Tokyo, London, and Los Angeles, immersing herself in a variety of cultural experiences. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in art history from Columbia University.
BY YOONJAE JUNG [jung.yoonjae@koreadaily.com]
