Chase F. Robinson

Chase F. Robinson
Born1963 (age 62–63)
EducationBrown University
Harvard University (PhD)
OccupationsHistorian and Museum Director

Chase F. Robinson (born 1963) is an American historian, educator, and academic administrator. He has served as the director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art since December 2018.[1][2]

Early Life and Education

Robinson was born in Newton, Massachusetts to a university dean and high school teacher. He attended St. Paul’s School, spending a year studying in Rennes, France. He earned his B.A. with honors from Brown University. Between 1983 and 1986, he lived in the Middle East, studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the American University in Cairo, Cairo University, and the Center for Arabic Study Abroad. He earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University in 1992.[3]

Career

Oxford

After completing his doctorate, Robinson was appointed University Lecturer in Islamic History in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford, and became a Fellow of Wolfson College [4]

In 2004, he was appointed Professor of Early Islamic History, and served as Chairman of the Faculty Board from 2003 to 2005. He was a Member of the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study in 1999,[5] a Visiting Professor of History at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2002, and received a two-year Research Fellowship from the British Academy in 2005.

City University of New York

In 2008, Robinson joined the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) as Distinguished Professor and Senior Vice President and Provost.[6] In 2013, he was appointed President of the Graduate Center.[6] During his leadership tenure, the center acquired the Advanced Science Research Center and established the Stone Center for Socio-Economic Inequality.[7]

Smithsonian Institution

In December 2018, Robinson became the Dame Jillian Sackler Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (incorporating the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art).[8]

During his tenure, the museum expanded its curation and public programming in Korean and Southeast Asian art,[9][10] launched a redesigned, award-winning digital infrastructure,[11] and introduced annual public programming celebrating cultural festivals such as Diwali and Chuseok and honoring AANHPI Month with IlluminAsia.[12][13] Major exhibitions hosted by the museum during this period included "Empresses of China’s Forbidden City" (2019), "Hokusai: Mad about Painting" (2021), "Anyang: China’s Ancient City of Kings" (2023), "A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur" (2023), and "Korean Treasures" (2026).[14][15][16][17][18] In 2023, the museum marked its centennial with a year-long schedule of exhibitions and public events organized around the theme "Journeys."[19][20]

Robinson has focused on provenance research, the protection of cultural heritage, and ethical collecting practices as core institutional directions for the museum.[21] Under his leadership, the museum expanded its international partnerships on cultural property preservation, including bilateral agreements and repatriation workflows with the Republic of Yemen and the Kingdom of Cambodia.[22][23][24] In December 2025, the museum returned three Khmer Empire sculptures to Cambodia—the "Head of Harihara," "The Goddess Uma," and "Prajnaparamita"—as the museum’s first return under the Smithsonian’s Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns policy.[24]

In May 2025, the museum deaccessioned and formally transferred fragments of the ancient Zidanku Silk Manuscripts—the oldest known silk manuscripts discovered in China—to the National Cultural Heritage Administration of the People's Republic of China, at a ceremony held at the Chinese Embassy in Washington.[25][26] Robinson described the transfer as the product of "decades of collaboration with Chinese researchers."[25] That same month, the museum formalized a four-year collaboration agreement with the Royal Commission for AlUla in Saudi Arabia centered on joint research, conservation, and exhibition of newly discovered statuary at the ancient site of Dadan.[27][28]

In 2026, he received an honorary doctorate from the American University of Cairo and served as the speaker for the Spring 2026 undergraduate commencement ceremony.[29]

Research and publications

Robinson’s historical research focuses on early Islamic history, Islamic civilization, historiography, and museum history. He has authored or edited nine books and more than forty articles. His volume titles include:

  • (ed. with Gordon et al.) The Works of Ibn Wadih al-Ya'qubi: An English Translation. (3 vols.) Leiden, 2017.
  • Islamic Civilization in Thirty Lives: The First 1,000 Years. Los Angeles and London, 2016. Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization". Cambridge University Press.[30]
  • (ed., with S. Foot), Historical Writing, 600-1400, volume 2 of the Oxford History of Historical Writing. Oxford, 2012.
  • (ed.) The New Cambridge History of Islam: Volume 1, The Formation of the Islamic World, Sixth to Eleventh Centuries. Cambridge, 2010.
  • Abd al-Malik. Oxford, 2005.
  • (ed.) Texts, Documents and Artefacts: Islamic Studies in Honour of D.S. Richards. Leiden, 2003.
  • Islamic Historiography. Cambridge, 2003.
  • (ed.) A Medieval Islamic City Reconsidered: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Samarra. Oxford, 2001
  • Empire and Elites after the Muslim Conquest: The Transformation of Northern Mesopotamia. Cambridge, 2000.

He has served on several academic editorial boards, including the journal Past & Present and as Series Editor for Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization.[31] He speaks internationally on museum policy, cultural diplomacy, and heritage protection.

Personal life

Robinson lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and has two children. He is an alumnus of St. Paul's School (Class of 1981) and serves on the school's Board of Trustees [32]

References

  1. ↑ Libbey, Peter (21 August 2018). "New Director Is Named for the Freer and Sackler Galleries". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  2. ↑ McGlone, Peggy (21 August 2018). "CUNY grad school president to lead Smithsonian's Freer/Sackler". Washington Post. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  3. ↑ Chase F. Robinson. City University of New York. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies". University of Oxford. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "School of Historical Studies Members 1999–2000". Institute for Advanced Study. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Chase F. Robinson". City University of New York. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  7. ↑ City University of New York (2020). "CUNY Trustees Appoint Chase F. Robinson President of the CUNY Graduate School and University Center". City University of New York. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  8. ↑ McGlone, Peggy (21 August 2018). "CUNY grad school president to lead Smithsonian's Freer/Sackler". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "National Museum of Asian Art Names Inaugural Korea Foundation Curator of Korean Art and Culture". National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  10. ↑ "National Museum of Asian Art Announces Major Gift To Endow and Name Jeffrey P. Cunard Curator of Southeast Asian Art". National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  11. ↑ The Webby Awards (2024). "Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art Website Redesign". The Webby Awards. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Diwali". National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Chuseok". National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Chan, Dany (18 June 2019). "The Empresses of China’s Forbidden City Get a Splendorous Look". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Kennicott, Philip (21 January 2020). "Even a year's worth of Hokusai may not be enough to display his genius". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Artnet Gallery Network (20 April 2023). "The Smithsonian’s Museum of Asian Art Celebrates Its Centennial With a Year of Special Exhibitions and Events". Artnet News. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Jenkins, Mark (10 January 2023). "Smithsonian show revels in the wonders of the White City of India". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  18. ↑ Choi, Christy (16 November 2025). "South Korea’s latest soft-power export? Late Samsung billionaire Lee Kun-hee’s vast art collection". CNN. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Tremayne-Pengelly, Alexandra (3 May 2023). "A Look at the National Museum of Asian Art’s Centennial Celebration". Observer. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  20. ↑ Scott, Chadd (11 April 2023). "Smithsonian's National Museum Of Asian Art Celebrating 100th Anniversary With Major Outdoor Festival In May". Forbes. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "Provenance Research & Object Histories". National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Bowley, Graham and Mashberg, Tom (21 February 2023). "Looted Artifacts, Returned to Yemen, Will Go to the Smithsonian, for Now". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  23. ↑ WETA Arts (May 2024). "How the United States and Yemen Work Together to Combat Art Crime, Season 11, Episode 8". PBS. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  24. 1 2 Mashberg, Tom (11 December 2025). "Smithsonian Returns Three Khmer Artifacts Thought Looted to Cambodia". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  25. 1 2 Angeleti, Gabriella (16 May 2025). "Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art repatriates ancient silk manuscript to China". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  26. ↑ (23 May 2025). "The Smithsonian Transfers Rare 2,300-Year-Old Silk Manuscripts to China". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  27. ↑ (15 May 2025). "Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art and Saudi Arabia strike deal to collaborate on exhibitions, conservation and more". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  28. ↑ "National Museum of Asian Art and the Royal Commission for AlUla in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Announce New Collaboration for Cultural Exchange". National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution. May 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  29. ↑ https://www.aucegypt.edu/news/meet-spring-commencement-2026-speakers
  30. ↑ ISBN 9780520292987
  31. ↑ "Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization". Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  32. ↑ "Board of Trustees: Chase F. Robinson '81". St. Paul's School. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
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