20 Dec SFMOMA Has Abruptly Fired Contemporary Art Curator Eungie Joo

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The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) unexpectedly terminated contemporary art curator Eungie Joo’s tenure this week.

“In accordance with institutional policy on workplace conduct, Eungie Joo was separated from SFMOMA on December 17,” a museum spokesperson said in a statement provided to Artnet News over email. “We do not comment on the specifics of personnel matters.”

SFMOMA made Joo its first-ever curator of contemporary art in 2017, one year after completing a massive expansion. Joo had previously held several high-profile roles. She was the founding curator at REDCAT Los Angeles from 2003 to 2007, and the director and curator of education and public programs at New York’s New Museum from 2007 until 2012. Joo also curated Korea’s pavilion at the 2009 Venice Biennial, and the 2015 Sharjah Biennial.

Joo’s time at SFMOMA overlapped with a period of immense transition at the institution. Her curatorial debut, “Soft Power,” opened in 2019, highlighting how contemporary artists creatively intersect with activism. The COVID-19 pandemic battered the museum the following year, resulting in sweeping layoffs and furloughs.

Those were not the museum’s only troubles. Insensitive remarks by senior curator Gary Garrels in a staff meeting led to his resignation. Director Neal Benezra followed Garrels out the door in 2021 amid staff claims that the museum perpetuated structural biases.

Joo, meanwhile, continued elevating socially minded artists like Charles Gaines. She curated SFMOMA’s iteration of Pacita Abad’s first-ever retrospective, which opened at the museum last year, and worked directly with Kara Walker on a massive moving sculptural installation titled Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine), which achieved critical acclaim this past year.

Mark Bradford, Shahzia Sikander, Alan di Castro, Eungie Joo, and Kara Walker attend a New Museum gala in 2009. Photo: David X. Prutting/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images.

Although Joo’s close friendships with contemporary artists have proven a strong point throughout her career, her relationships with employees have been a weak point, according to one person with direct experience, who worked for Joo more than a decade ago and told me over the phone that she could be harsh to the point of abuse, even yelling at her subordinates in public places.

Joo did not respond to requests for comment regarding what may have caused her termination.

Source Credit:  Content and images from Artnet News.  Read the original article - https://news.artnet.com/art-world/sfmoma-fired-contemporary-curator-eungie-joo-2591860