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Jay Xu

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Jay Xu
许杰
Born1963 (age 61–62)
Shanghai, China
Alma materShanghai University,
Princeton University
Occupation(s)Art museum director, art historian, curator

Jay Xu (Chinese: 许杰; born 1963)[1] is a Chinese-born American museum director, art historian, and curator.[2] He was the first Chinese-American curator of a major museum in the United States, serving as director and CEO of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco from 2008 to 2025.[3][4][5]

Early life

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Jay Xu was born in 1963 in Shanghai, China.[6][7] He attended Shanghai University. Xu worked as an assistant to the museum director Ma Chengyuan at the Shanghai Museum.[8] Later, due to work reasons, he came into contact with Robert Bagley, a professor at Princeton University who came to Shanghai for academic exchanges.

Career

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Xu moved to the United States in 1990, pursuing a M.A. degree and PhD program at Princeton University.[9] After graduation, he worked as a research fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, from 1995 until 1996.[8] Xu worked as the curator of Chinese art at the Seattle Art Museum from 1996 to 2003; and as the head of the Asian art department and chairman of the Department of Asian and Ancient Art at the Art Institute of Chicago from 2003 to 2006.[8][9]

Since June 2008, Xu has served as the director and CEO of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, succeeding Emily Sano.[8] Under his leadership, the Asian Art Museum avoided a financial crisis,[10] growing its collection with more than 2,200 new art acquisitions and hosting at least 100 exhibitions.[8] In 2017, Xu led a fundraising campaign to fund the museum's building renovation and expansion.[11][8][12] In 2020, during the Black Lives Matter protests, the museum removed the bust of Avery Brundage, someone accused of being a Nazi sympathizer and a racist.[13][14] During this time, the museum also decided to critically examine the provenance of the artwork in the collection.[13]

In April 2023, Xu announced plans to step down from the Asian Art Museum in 2025, with Soyoung Lee officially replacing him as director and CEO in January 2025.[15][16][17]

References

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  1. ^ Reilly, Janet (2021-10-06). "The Interview: Jay Xu's Journey". NobHillGazette.com. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  2. ^ Hamlin, Jesse (2008-03-12). "Chicago curator Jay Xu to run Asian Art Museum". SFGATE. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  3. ^ "S.F. Asian Art Museum director plans to step down". Datebook | San Francisco Arts & Entertainment Guide. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  4. ^ writer, Greg Wong | Examiner staff (2025-01-22). "Asian Art Museum director confident in SF future". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  5. ^ Irshad, Zara. "Asian Art Museum appoints new director and CEO". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  6. ^ Cheng, Scarlet (2010-05-23). "Asian Art Museum's 'Shanghai' a taste of exhibits to come". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  7. ^ Cheng, Scarlet (2010-05-23). "The View from an East–West angle". The Los Angeles Times. p. 67. Retrieved 2023-05-29 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Vaziri, Aidin; Bravo, Tony (April 19, 2023). "S.F. Asian Art Museum director plans to step down". Datebook, San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  9. ^ a b "Jay Xu". Asia Society. 23 October 2012.
  10. ^ Cotter, Holland (2011-05-30). "A Storied Paradise, Tempered by Reality". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  11. ^ Desmarais, Charles (2016-03-01). "Asian Art Museum announces expansion". SFGATE. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  12. ^ "Asian Art Museum Moves Toward $90 Million Transformation". KQED. 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  13. ^ a b Pogash, Carol (2020-06-15). "Asian Art Museum to Remove Bust of Patron. That's Just a Start". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  14. ^ Greschler, Gabriel (2020-07-24). "S.F. Asian Art Museum to remove bust of founding donor with antisemitic views". J. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  15. ^ "Soyoung Lee appointed as the next Director and CEO of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco". korea.fas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  16. ^ Hotchkiss, Sarah (2025-01-16). "Asian Art Museum Names New Director, Soyoung Lee | KQED". www.kqed.org. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  17. ^ "Asian Art Museum of San Francisco picks new director". artreview.com. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
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