Asia Society Announces Appointment of Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe as VP for Global Artistic Programs and Director of Asia Society Museum in New York

New York, October 29, 2020–Asia Society announced today that Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe, currently Senior Curator of Asian Contemporary Art at Asia Society Museum and Associate Director and co-Curator of the Asia Society Triennial, has been named Vice President for Global Artistic Programs and Director of the Asia Society Museum in New York. As of October 31, Yun Mapplethorpe will be responsible for leading Asia Society’s Museum into the future and overseeing global arts and cultural programs for the organization. She will also assume responsibility as Artistic Director of the Triennial, which runs through June 27, 2021. Yun Mapplethorpe steps into this leadership position following the departure of Boon Hui Tan, who is leaving Asia Society to pursue new opportunities. Tan had served as Artistic Director and co-Curator of the Triennial, along with Yun Mapplethorpe.

“Michelle is a leading light in the field of Asian art and a force behind many of Asia Society’s ground-breaking exhibitions,” said Josette Sheeran, Asia Society President and CEO. “In her eight years at Asia Society she has proven her skills as a deft and inspirational manager. She has earned the respect, admiration and confidence of our Trustees, partners and colleagues and we are confident she will lead with distinction, thoughtfulness, creativity and grace. We extend our sincerest thanks to Boon Hui Tan for his service to Asia Society and for his contributions to the Triennial.”

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be offered this tremendous opportunity and to work with such an innovative and inspiring team,” said Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe. “Asia Society is a true pioneer in connecting the artists of Asia to the world. Our groundbreaking Asia Society Triennial— with more than 40 artists from 20 nations—embodies that tradition. A visit to Asia Society’s exhibition Inside Out: New Chinese Art in 1998 ignited my passion to champion Asian art and artists. It is my great desire to similarly inspire young scholars and the public at large in this new capacity.”

This week, the Asia Society launched its first Asia Society Triennial, co-curated by Yun Mapplethorpe, who will lead planning for the next edition of the initiative scheduled to take place in 2023/24. Since joining the institution in 2012, she has served as curator or co-curator for more than twenty-five exhibitions for Asia Society.

Yun Mapplethorpe is a widely-published author and frequent lecturer on modern and contemporary Asian art. She earned her M.A. in modern art and critical studies from Columbia University and her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College. She is a graduate of the Getty Leadership Institute’s Executive Education Program for Museum Leaders and sits on the advisory board of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum. Prior to her appointment to Asia Society, Yun Mapplethorpe was Curator of the Hunter College Art Galleries. She has served as Project Director of Cai Guo-Qiang’s studio and as Curatorial Assistant in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in addition to organizing numerous independently curated exhibitions.

About Asia Society Museum
Asia Society Museum presents a wide range of traditional, modern, and contemporary exhibitions of Asian and Asian American art, taking new approaches to familiar masterpieces and introducing under-recognized arts and artists. The Asia Society Museum Collection comprises a traditional art collection, including the initial bequests of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd, and a contemporary art collection. Through exhibitions and public programs, Asia Society provides a forum for the issues and viewpoints reflected in both traditional and contemporary Asian art, and in Asia today.

Founded in 1956, Asia Society is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational institution based in New York with state-of-the-art cultural centers and gallery spaces in Hong Kong and Houston, and offices in Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, San Francisco, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo, Washington, D.C., and Zurich.

Asia Society Museum is located at 725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), New York City.

To stay informed about Asia Society and our New York offerings, visit AsiaSociety.org/NY and @AsiaSocietyNY.