COURTESY MARC STRAUS GALLERY
Marc Straus Gallery announced today that Ken Tan has been hired as the gallery’s new director. Tan will work with the current director of the Lower East Side space, Timothy Hawkinson, in an effort to expand the gallery’s presence in Asia and the Middle East, notably in Dubai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, and Singapore.
Tan had previously worked as an art advisor in Singapore, where he created marketing campaigns for the National Museum of Singapore, the Singapore Art Museum, and the Singapore Fashion Festival. Tan notably worked on marketing for 8Q, the Singapore Art Museum’s annex devoted to experimental contemporary art, which opened in 2008. A press release also notes that Tan is a collector.
Tan’s first project at Marc Straus Gallery will be its upcoming Hermann Nitsch show, which opens on September 9. The show, Nitsch’s first with Marc Straus, will cover 40 years of work.
“We are thrilled to have Ken on board as director of the gallery,” Marc Straus said in a statement. “His extensive knowledge of the market and of artists in South East Asia and his proven experience as a leader in multimedia marketing is an extraordinary combination.”