Jay Xu named Margaret F. Williams Memorial Fellow

Prior to becoming Director of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in 2008, Dr. Jay Xu was Pritzker Chairman of the Department of Asian and Ancient Art at The Art Institute of Chicago. He is a dedicated scholar of Chinese antiquities and a curator committed to sharing his extensive knowledge of Asian art with a wide audience. The award of the Margaret F. Williams Memorial Fellowship in 2009-10 supported Dr. Xu’s travels in Asia to meet with directors of major museums, explore interest in the proposed Directors Forum, and develop appropriate topics for presentation and discussion at the forum.

Established by the late Asia Foundation President Emeritus Ambassador Haydn Williams, the Margaret F. Williams Memorial Fellows in Asian Art Program honors his late wife, whose interest in Asian art was stimulated by their travels together on Asia Foundation visits to the region. Mrs. Williams was also a founding docent at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, the cooperating partner in implementing the fellowship program.