이소영 아시아미술관(SF) 신임 관장 겸 CEO 

메트로폴리탄뮤지엄, 하버드미술관 큐레이터 지내

 

 

 Dr. Soyoung Lee  Photo: Ian Chin

 

하버드아트뮤지엄 수석 큐레이터 이소영(Soyoung Lee)씨가 샌프란시스코 아시아미술관(Asian Art Museum of San Francisco – Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture)의 디렉터 겸 CEO로 임명됐다. 미 주류 뮤지엄에서 한인 관장은 두번째다. 2021년 김민정씨가 세인트루이스아트뮤지엄(Saint Louis Art Museum) 142년 역사상 최초의 여성 디렉터 겸 CEO로 임명됐다. 이소영 신임 관장의 임기는 2025년 4월부터 시작한다.

 

 1971년 인도네시아 자카르타에서 태어난 이소영 신임관장은 한국, 스웨덴, 영국 등지에서 성장했다. 컬럼비아대학교와 동 대학원에서 동양 미술사 전공 후 2001년 메트로폴리탄 뮤지엄의 연구원으로 일했다. 2003년 메트뮤지엄의 한국미술 담당 큐레이터로 발탁되어 한국의 국보와 보물 등 130여점을 선보인 ‘황금의 나라, 신라(Silla: Korea’s Golden Kingdom, 2014)’을 비롯, '흙 속의 시: 리움삼성미술관 소장 분청사기(Poetry in Clay: Korean Buncheong Ceramics from Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, 2011), '한국 르네상스의 미술(Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400-1600, 2009), '미와 학문: 한국 병풍'(Beauty and Learning: Korean Painted Screens (2008)전 등을 기획했다. 

 

컬럼비아대학교에서 '17세기 일본 큐슈지방 도자기와 조선시대 도자기의 비교(Interregional Reception and Invention in Korean and Japanese Ceramics, 1400-1800)'로 박사학위를 받았다. 저서로  'Diamond Mountains: Travel and Nostalgia in Korean Art'(2018), 'Silla: Korea’s Golden Kingdom (with Denise Patry Leidy; 2013)', 'Korean Buncheong Ceramics from the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art' (with Jeon Seung-chang; 2011)가 있다. 스티븐 콧킨 프린스턴대학교 사학과 교수와 사이에 1남 1녀를 두었다.

 

샌프란시스코 아시아미술관

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco – Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture

 

1960년대 국제올림픽위원회(IOC) 위원장을 지낸 시카고의 백만장자 겸 아트 콜렉터 에버리 브런대지(Avery Brundage)가 샌프란시스코에 소장품을 기부한 후 1966년 골든게이트공원에 M. H. de Young Memorial Museum의 한 갤러리로 개관했다. 1995년 실리콘밸리의 한국계 사업가 이종문(Chong-Moon Lee)씨가 1천5백만 달러를 기부, 2003년 3월 이탈리아 건축가 가에 아울렌티(Gae Aulenti)가 샌프란시스코 시립 도서관 건물을 개조해 재개관했다. 브런디지는 1975년 사망한 후 총 아시안미술품 7천700여점을 기부했지만, 인종차별, 성차별, 반유대주의자로 널리 알려지면서 2020년 50년간 로비에 서있던 동상이 철거됐다. 미술관 소장품은 48개국, 2만 여점이다. 현재 디렉터는 2008년부터 재임해온 중국계 제이 수(Jay Xu, 许杰)다.   

https://asianart.org 

*'황금의 나라, 신라'전 기획 이소영 큐레이터 인터뷰, 2013

https://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Art2&document_srl=4141307

 

*Soyoung Lee, Curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The New York Times, Nov. 22, 2013

https://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=People2&category=3963972&document_srl=2954209

 

*김민정씨 세인트루이스미술관 142년 역사 최초의 여성 디렉터 발탁

https://www.nyculturebeat.com/index.php?mid=Art2&document_srl=4043037

 

 

MUSEUM ANNOUNCEMENT

 

Meet Dr. Soyoung Lee

Newly Appointed Director and CEO

 

On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Asian Art Museum Foundation and the Asian Art Commission, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Soyoung Lee as the next Barbara Bass Bakar Director and CEO of the Asian Art Museum. Beginning her tenure in April 2025, Dr. Lee will bring robust leadership and scholarly expertise to the museum as we continue to advance our mission as a premier center for Asian and Asian American art and culture.  

 

As a leading scholar of Asian art and culture, Dr. Lee possesses a deep expertise regarding Asian and Asian American art, from its richly diverse history to its contemporary directions and future possibilities. Her successful initiatives to bring art to broader audiences reflect her dedication to transforming museums into sites of connection — a central focus of the Asian Art Museum’s ongoing mission.

 

Dr. Lee joins us from the Harvard Art Museums, where she has served as the Landon and Lavinia Clay Chief Curator since 2018. During her time at Harvard, she demonstrated remarkable vision in shaping collections and exhibitions, including the innovative Future Minded: New Works in the Collection and the expansive Earthly Delights: 6,000 Years of Asian Ceramics. Dr. Lee is deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of museum professionals, a mission she has advanced through her work with Harvard’s prestigious Museum Training program.  

 

Prior to her work at Harvard, Dr. Lee spent 15 years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As the Met’s first-ever curator for Korean art, she transformed the scope and impact of Korean art and culture — at the museum and, more broadly, in the U.S. cultural landscape — fostering a deeper appreciation for its significance. She is also strongly connected to the Bay Area through her current role as a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University.

 

Dr. Lee has a deep understanding of Asian and Asian American art, its connection to the past, and its evolving role in shaping the future. With her visionary leadership, she is uniquely positioned to chart a bold path forward for the museum, as well as for Asian and Asian diasporic art and culture at large.

 

 

Introducing Our New Director

 

An Esteemed Arts Executive and Trailblazing Asian Art Scholar, Dr. Soyoung Lee will Serve as the Institution’s Next Barbara Bass Bakar Director and CEO

 

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 14, 2025 — The Board of Trustees of the Asian Art Museum Foundation and the Asian Art Commission today appointed Dr. Soyoung Lee as the next Barbara Bass Bakar Director and CEO of San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum—Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art & Culture. She will start in April 2025. 

 

Dr. Lee joins the Asian Art Museum from the Harvard Art Museums, where she has served as the Landon and Lavinia Clay Chief Curator since 2018. At Harvard, she led the museums’ collections-building and exhibitions, as well as its highly regarded Museum Training program, mentoring the next generation of museum professionals. She co-curated the exhibitions Future Minded: New Works in the Collection (2024) and Earthly Delights: 6,000 Years of Asian Ceramics (2022). 

 

“This is an exciting moment for the Asian Art Museum,” said Salle Yoo, Chair of the Asian Art Museum Foundation and Asian Art Commission. “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. She has also demonstrated creativity and openness in bringing art to broader audiences and has successfully led efforts to make museums a place of connection — a core focus of the Asian Art Museum’s mission and strategic plan.” 

 

“I have been a longtime admirer of the Asian Art Museum,” noted Dr. Lee. “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. It is thrilling to imagine charting an audacious path for the future of Asian and Asian diasporic art and culture — for everyone to experience.” 

 

Before her time at the Harvard Art Museums, Dr. Lee spent 15 years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As the Met’s first-ever curator for Korean art, Dr. Lee transformed the scope and impact of Korean art and culture — both at the museum and more broadly in the U.S. cultural landscape. Her publications include Diamond Mountains: Travel and Nostalgia in Korean Art (2018), Silla: Korea’s Golden Kingdom (with Denise Patry Leidy; 2013), and Korean Buncheong Ceramics from the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art (with Jeon Seung-chang; 2011). 

 

Dr. Lee served as Trustee at Large of the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) from 2017 to 2023, also serving as the Chair of its Finance & Audit Committee (2019–2020). She is an alumna of the Center for Curatorial Leadership (2018) and a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University (2024–25). She received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in art history from Columbia University.

 

Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dr. Lee has lived in Seoul, Tokyo, Stockholm, London, Los Angeles, New York, and Cambridge, MA.