Jonathan Napack

Jonathan Alan Napack, an expert in Asian contemporary art, died of pneumonia on Jan. 20 at the age of 39 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong.

Over the past decade, Mr. Napack worked as a writer and critic. He developed a specialty in the Asian art market, and became well acquainted with artists, gallery owners and collectors. After moving to Hong Kong from New York City in the mid-1990s, Mr. Napack parlayed a freelance journalism career into a position in 1999 as the first Asia adviser for the international show Art Basel.

Guided by a brilliant recall of facts, tireless appetite for travel and strong opinions, Mr. Napack resolved to discover artists — and understand their work. Employing a broad smile and thick skin, Mr. Napack gained unusually deep passage into art society from Japan and Korea to Vietnam and China.¹

1. Asia Art Archive ↩