Eungie Joo, curator and head of contemporary art at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, was fired Tuesday due to the institution’s workplace conduct policy, The Standard has learned.
“In accordance with institutional policy on workplace conduct, Eungie Joo was separated from SFMOMA on December 17,” a statement from a museum spokesperson said. “We do not comment on the specifics of personnel matters.”
Joo declined to comment. She joined SFMOMA in 2017 as the first curator of contemporary art, marking a major curatorial gambit for the museum and its mission to broaden its influence in international and contemporary arts.
Joo, 55, made waves this year for curating a site-specific installation of Stockton-born artist Kara Walker’s animatronic sculptures, an exhibition that is free to the public.
Joo has held prominent roles in the art world, serving as director and curator of various programs at the New Museum in New York and REDCAT in Los Angeles. She also worked as commissioner for the Korean Pavilion at the 2009 Venice Biennale. She earned her doctorate in ethnic studies from UC Berkeley.
This is a developing story.