John Guy is the Florence and Herbert Irving Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, London, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; received a Commendation Award from the Indian government for services dedicated to Indian culture; served as an advisor to UNESCO on historical sites in Asia; and worked on shipwreck excavations that have expanded the field of Indian Ocean studies.
Prior to joining the Met, Guy served as senior curator of South Asian art at the Victoria and Albert Museum. He has devoted much of his career to collection building at these two institutions and he has published widely. He has also been at the vanguard of restitution initiatives. Major exhibitions curated and cocurated include The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India (LACMA and the V&A); Chola: Sacred Bronzes of Southern India (Royal Academy); Temple Sculpture of India (La Caixa Foundation); Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds (Smithsonian); and at the Met, Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India, 1100–1900; Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500–1800; Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia; and Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India, 200 BCE–400 CE.
Prior to joining the Met, Guy served as senior curator of South Asian art at the Victoria and Albert Museum. He has devoted much of his career to collection building at these two institutions and he has published widely. He has also been at the vanguard of restitution initiatives. Major exhibitions curated and cocurated include The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India (LACMA and the V&A); Chola: Sacred Bronzes of Southern India (Royal Academy); Temple Sculpture of India (La Caixa Foundation); Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds (Smithsonian); and at the Met, Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India, 1100–1900; Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500–1800; Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia; and Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India, 200 BCE–400 CE.
