TEFAF MOURNS THE PASSING OF ITS GLOBAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER BOON HUI TAN

TEFAF mourns the passing of our colleague, friend, and Global Advisory Board member Boon Hui Tan.

Boon Hui passed away on July 7 at age 53, from complications suffered from a stroke in May.

An extraordinary talent and intellect, full of passion and enthusiasm, Boon Hui is best remembered internationally as director of the Asia Society Museum in New York, where he served from 2015-20. He launched the groundbreaking Asia Society Triennial event in 2020. He is considered to have ‘changed the discourse’ of Asian art history and his passion and curatorial flair enriched our ecosystem.’

A tireless champion for Asian artists and a visionary leader, Boon Hui had recently returned to his native Singapore to lead his country’s main arts festival and historic venues. In this role as executive director of Arts House, which runs the Singapore International Festival of Arts and performance venues including The Arts House and the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, he was fervently committed to breaking down traditional silos to expand Singapore’s cultural scene.

In addition to being a member of TEFAF’s New York Advisory Board and later, the Global Advisory Board, Boon Hui participated in TEFAF’s Cultural Programming in New York in 2018 and 2019.

We join the legions of colleagues and friends who mourn the loss of Boon Hui, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family. He will be very much missed by everyone at TEFAF.

Heidi McWilliams
Chair, TEFAF Global Advisory Board