Dessa Goddard Appointed New Chairman of Asia Week New York

NEW YORK: Dessa Goddard has been appointed the new Chairman of Asia Week New York, the collaboration of prominent international Asian art galleries, major auction houses, and numerous museums and Asian cultural institutions.

“I am deeply honored and excited to assume the chairmanship of Asia Week New York, and to be following in the footsteps of so many hardworking and talented colleagues who have founded and helped steer AWNY over the last 12 years,” says Dessa Goddard, Bonhams’ Head, U.S. Asian Art Group, Vice President, Global Head, Business Strategy Chinese Paintings.  

“After a challenging year and a half, I look forward to solidifying our new vibrant, digital platform for our members to showcase their art. We will use this dynamic vehicle to further promote activities which enhance awareness and enrich knowledge of the diverse fields of Asian art for our expanding audience of collectors, institutions, and academics.  Through this and other initiatives we will continue to build the reputation of Asia Week New York as a key focus of cultural life for our known and growing audience.”

According to Ms. Goddard, Asia Week New York will be solidifying its emphasis on March activities while offering more programs to member galleries, auction houses and museums on a year-round basis. “By expanding our website and our digital platforms, we will further establish Asia Week New York as a primary international resource for important activities pertaining to Asian art.”  For example, Goddard cites the successful monthly webinar series on important aspects of Asian art featuring world renowned experts that has attracted hundreds of registrants. Social media activities–both in the U.S. and in China–will also be greatly enhanced.

About Dessa Goddard

Dessa Goddard oversees all company specialists and consultants in the fields of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Himalayan, Indian and Southeast Asian Art in North America, and is the Senior North American Chinese Specialist in charge of acquiring consignments for the company’s auctions in New York, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong. In over 30 years of Dessa’s leadership, the US Asian group has achieved record-breaking sales in Chinese, Japanese and Korean Art. Together with Colin Sheaf and London senior management, she played a key role in opening Bonhams expansion into Hong Kong and Asia in 2007.

Prior to joining Bonhams, Dessa advanced to Candidacy for the Ph.D. in Chinese History at UC Berkeley and became a Research Fellow in Chinese Archeology at the Toyo Bunka Kenkyujo, part of the University of Tokyo. She is a graduate of the Inter-University Center for Advanced Japanese in Tokyo, a Stanford University-based program, and she interned in the Painting and Calligraphy Department at the National Palace Museum, Taipei. Dessa attended Harvard University as a graduate student, where she studied under Professor Max Loehr and John Rosenfield. She holds a B.A. in Art History from Northwestern University and a M.A. degree in Asian Art. One of North America’s leading experts in her field, Dessa speaks Mandarin Chinese and Japanese. She travels and lectures throughout the U.S. on topics in Chinese art and has focused her recent research on the growth of philanthropy and urban culture, with a specific eye to the history of Asian art collecting in America. She regularly appears on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow.