Chinese endowment creates partnership and strategy for Curator in Charge at The Costume Institute

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Mar 9, 2018

Chinese investor and philanthropist Wendy Yu, on behalf of her Hong Kong-based company, Yu Holdings, has created an endowment in perpetuity for the position of the Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute.

Daniel H. Weiss, president and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, said, "[Yu's] support will make it possible for The Met to broaden our expertise in the field, advancing our scholarship and conservation and increasing the scope of The Costume Institute's groundbreaking work to enhance global knowledge of fashion as an art form."

The endowment was made through Yu Fashion, the division of Yu Holdings devoted to supporting the fashion industry. In partnership with The Costume Institute, Yu Fashion plans to launch a series of initiatives for programs in China.

Yu Fashion also plans to connect China's art and fashion communities with The Met with the goal of funding acquisitions by The Costume Institute.

Yu said her mission with Yu Fashion "is to support the fashion industry," stating in a release, "We will be providing a cross-continent opportunity for cultural exchange as well as increasing awareness of The Costume Institute in China."

Andrew Bolton, currently curator in charge of The Costume Institute, will become the position's first incumbent. This role joins 50 other positions at The Met that exist because of endowments ranging from curatorial to conservation departments.

Bolton's curatorial experience includes Chanel (2005) and Schiaparelli and Prada (2012). Alone, he curated Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (2011), Manus x Machina (2016) and Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between (2017).

Two of his solo exhibits, China: Through the Looking Glass and Manus x Machina are The Costume Institute's most popular shows. At 800,000 and 750,000 visitors respectively, they are among The Met's top 10 most visited exhibits of all time.

Bolton assumes the title of Wendy Yu Curator in Charge effective immediately. The next exhibition curated by him, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, opens May 10th. It will be The Costume Institute's largest show to date.