Asia Society announced that Tan Boon Hui has been appointed as vice president of global arts and cultural programs and director of the Asia Society Museum in New York. Tan will succeed the museum’s previous director, Peggy Loar, and begin working at the Asia Society Museum in December.
Most of Tan’s experience with art has been in Singapore, where he previously served as the director of the Singapore Art Museum from 2009 to 2013, and as the group director of programs at the National Heritage Board from 2013 to the present. Tan was credited with revitalizing the Singapore Art Museum as an institution with a focus on contemporary Southeast Asian art. Prior to that, he worked at the Asian Civilizations Museum and the National Museum of Singapore.
Tan has also worked on biennials. In 2003, Tan curated the Singapore Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. A decade later, he directed and co-curated the Singapore Biennial. He is also a founding board member of the International Biennials Association.
“I am delighted to be joining the Asia Society,” Tan said in a statement. “The opportunity to use the lens of arts and culture to explore ideas and issues of importance to Asia, and Asian and Asian American artists, is truly exciting. I am also proud to be joining an organization with such a powerful and prestigious history in Asia.”