2020 Honoree Dr. George J. Y. Fan

Dr. George J. Y. Fan is a physicist by training. After receiving his Ph.D., he worked with IBM Research for thirty years. His research was specifically focused on science and computer-related technology.

Over the years he has been influenced by his talented wife Katherine. Her creativity inspired him to develop a serious interest in art.

From the mid 1980’s, Dr. Fan focused his attention on ancient Chinese art, with a particular interest in fine ceramics and ancient bronzes. He began to form a collection of items in these two areas, as well as donate many pieces of his collection to various museums.

Recently, some of his gifts - nine inscribed Western Zhou bronzes - were put on display at the Chinese National Museum in Tiananmen Square in conjunction with the 70th anniversary celebration of the formation of the People’s Republic of China.

For the last four years, he has been working on a project to revisit the catalog of the Qianlong Emperor’s archaic bronze collection - Xi Qing Gu Jie.