Rachel Lehmann and David Maupin are pleased to announce the appointment of Ken Tan as Director. Based in Singapore, Tan will spearhead the gallery’s activities in Southeast Asia, including the expansion of client relations in the region and the development of further institutional opportunities for its artists.
Tan will work alongside the gallery’s leadership team and sales teams to strengthen the gallery’s regional network of curators, collectors, and institutions. With over 15 years of experience working in New York, Singapore, Japan, and Australia, Tan joins Lehmann Maupin from Arts House Limited–a public company under the National Arts Council of Singapore–where he served as Senior Director and oversaw the Singapore International Festival of Arts. Previously, Tan served as the Executive Director of Global Artistic Programs and Deputy Director at the Asia Society Museum in New York, where he launched the inaugural Asia Society Triennial in New York.
Rachel Lehmann, co-founder of Lehmann Maupin, says: “Singapore is growing into an important hub for finance, medical technology, manufacturing, and now contemporary art. The beginning of 2022 saw us strengthening our position in Korea, and now as we enter 2023 we are looking to sow deeper ties in Singapore and Southeast Asia more broadly. We are confident that Ken’s expertise will support these objectives, bring new opportunities to our artists, and enable us to be an active player in this changing landscape.”
Lehmann Maupin was amongst the first wave of Western galleries to establish a presence in Asia and in the last decade has continued to deepen its ties to the continent including the establishment of spaces in Hong Kong (2013) and Seoul (first location in 2017 before moving to new premises in the city in March 2022). In recent years, the gallery has amplified its operations on the continent considerably, increasing its activity with seasonal spaces in Taipei and Beijing, as well as growing its team based between Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, and now Singapore. This period of growth coincides with the heightened visibility of the gallery’s artists across the continent, through numerous solo and group museum exhibitions, biennials, and art fairs.
“It is an honor to be part of a leading gallery with such a significant history and family of artists,” explains Tan. “I’m thrilled to be in this position to help steer the gallery’s operations in Singapore at a time when the industry is recognizing its potential as an art center in its own right. With an influx of transplants and a growing local collector base, I’m seeing an openness to collecting contemporary art from outside of the region. Following Lehmann Maupin’s success as an early mover in Hong Kong and Seoul, I’m confident that establishing a base in Singapore will continue to open up channels to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and further into the Asia Pacific region.”
From January 12–15, Lehmann Maupin will participate in the inaugural edition of Art SG art fair with a focused presentation of works by Mandy El-Sayegh, Tammy Nguyen, and Lee Bul, all of whom work to engage communal and personal histories that reflect the intertwining cultures of Asia. Other highlights in the booth will include works by McArthur Binion, Liza Lou, Lari Pittman, Jennifer Steinkamp, and more.
Ken Tan can be reached at ken@lehmannmaupin.com.
About Ken Tan
Over the past 15 years, Ken Tan has produced art and cultural projects globally, including in New York, Singapore, Tokyo, and Melbourne. Most recently, he was the Senior Director at Arts House Limited, a public company under the National Arts Council of Singapore, where he oversaw two national art festivals: Singapore International Festival of Arts and Singapore Writers Festival. Prior, Tan was the Executive Director of Global Artistic Programs and Deputy Director at the Asia Society Museum, New York, where he managed the art department and its programming, exhibitions, performing arts, film, literary and cultural initiatives. Between 2020 and 2021, Tan was also responsible for launching the inaugural Asia Society Triennial in New York City. Between 2015–19, Tan was the director of Marc Straus gallery in New York, where he managed the programming of over 30 exhibitions and events for 20 international artists. Tan is based in Singapore.