Helen Lee

Art and culture are for everyone. They connect people and provide powerful ways to share perspectives, build empathy, and promote wonder and curiosity.

Born in Seoul, Korea
Educated in US and UK
Philanthropist + Art Collector
Arts + Culture Strategist

I am interested in international and cross-cultural relationships that simultaneously represent local and global interests. I appreciate the connection between organizational missions and how they relate to personal stories. I am committed to the the idea that creative collaboration promotes the exchange of ideas across many disciplines and leads to inspirational solutions.

Met Museum Modern and Contemporary Circle
& Visiting Committee
2023 to present

International Council
2022 to present

Board Member
2022 to present

Chairperson Emeriti
2024-present

Chairperson of the Board
2017 to 2024

Member Board of Trustees
2004 to present

Board Member
2020 to 2023

Advisor for Arts and Culture
2017 to 2020

Board Member
2011 to 2016

I have held many roles in the art world, including curator, collector, academic and television broadcaster.  My passion for the arts derives from my belief that art and culture provide vital means of communication across cultural and political divides. Art has the power to be eternal and has the unique ability to challenge and enrich our lives daily.

Helen holds an MA from The Courtauld Institute of Art in London after earning a BA from Harvard. She is also a certified 200-hour yoga teacher and believes in learning a new skill each year.

Dialogues

Connect | Collaborate | Change

  • Helen with Isabella Rossellini and Diébédo Francis Kéré at the Watermill Center’s Summer Gala, 2025.
  • Discussing “McNeal” with Robert Downey Jr. after his performance at the Lincoln Center Theatre, New York, 2024.
  • Helen moderating panel at Milken Institute, Singapore 2018
  • Helen with F Murray Abraham, Metropolitan Opera, New York, November 2024
  • Feature of Helen’s apt in NY Cottages and Gardens, April 2018
  • Helen with James Spader, Lincoln Center Theatre, New York, May 2024
  • Helen in LA with Klaus Biesenbach, Milken Global Conference, April 2017
  • Helen with Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails, LA Frieze, February 2023
  • Helen with Adam Weinberg and Whitney Museum Trustees at The Courtauld ‘Van Gogh Self-Portraits’ show, April 2022
  • Helen with Lee Bul at the Met Museum Hyundai Genesis Facade Commission celebration, September 2024

Imagine | Inspire | Innovate

Interview series conceived and conducted by Helen Lee

Jason Farago — Art Critic, The New York Times
Joachim Pissarro — Art Historian, Theoretician
Atticus Ross — Musician and Composer
RoseLee Goldberg — Art Historian, Critic and Curator

Interviews

Minjung Kim — Artist
Adam D. Weinberg — Director of the Whitney Museum
Thelma Golden (The Studio Museum) and Glenn Lowry (Director of MoMA)
Jessica Morgan — Director of Dia Art Foundation
Max Hollein – Director and CEO Metropolitan Museum of Art
Laurence des Cars — President and CEO of the Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie