Esther Kim Varet
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Kim Varet grew up in Dallas, Texas. Her parents, Chang and Susan Kim, immigrated from [[South Korea]] shortly before she was born. She attended [[Trinity Christian Academy (Addison, Texas)|Trinity Christian Academy]] from kindergarten through high school.{{cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/visual-arts/2022/04/21/dallas-native-brings-her-various-small-fires-art-gallery-to-main-street/|title=Dallas native brings her Various Small Fires art gallery to Main Street|last=Smart|first=Lauren|date=April 21, 2022|access-date=September 19, 2025|website=[[Dallas Morning News]]}} During her childhood, she spent summers in Seoul, South Korea. |
Kim Varet grew up in Dallas, Texas. Her parents, Chang and Susan Kim, immigrated from [[South Korea]] shortly before she was born. She attended [[Trinity Christian Academy (Addison, Texas)|Trinity Christian Academy]] from kindergarten through high school.{{cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/visual-arts/2022/04/21/dallas-native-brings-her-various-small-fires-art-gallery-to-main-street/|title=Dallas native brings her Various Small Fires art gallery to Main Street|last=Smart|first=Lauren|date=April 21, 2022|access-date=September 19, 2025|website=[[Dallas Morning News]]}} During her childhood, she spent summers in Seoul, South Korea. |
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She attended [[Yale University]] as an undergraduate; after graduating from Yale, she worked briefly at New York art galleries including Paula Cooper Gallery and Petzel Gallery.{{Cite web |date=February 12, 2020 |title='We're Not Working in an ER': Dealer Esther Kim Varet on How to Run a Thriving Art Gallery Without Losing Your Mind |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/various-small-fires-esther-kim-varet-interview-1773888 |access-date=August 28, 2025 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US}} She then pursued graduate studies in art history at [[Columbia University]], where she wrote her master's thesis on performance artist [[Andrea Fraser]]'s [[institutional critique]]. While in graduate school, Kim Varet began a Ph.D. program at |
She attended [[Yale University]] as an undergraduate; after graduating from Yale, she worked briefly at New York art galleries including Paula Cooper Gallery and Petzel Gallery.{{Cite web |date=February 12, 2020 |title='We're Not Working in an ER': Dealer Esther Kim Varet on How to Run a Thriving Art Gallery Without Losing Your Mind |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/various-small-fires-esther-kim-varet-interview-1773888 |access-date=August 28, 2025 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US}} She then pursued graduate studies in art history at [[Columbia University]], where she wrote her master's thesis on performance artist [[Andrea Fraser]]'s [[institutional critique]]. While in graduate school, Kim Varet began a Ph.D. program at Columbia but shifted focus toward an opportunity in the art business. |
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== Career == |
== Career == |
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== Political candidacy == |
== Political candidacy == |
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In early 2025, Kim Varet publicly entered politics by declaring her candidacy for the United States House of Representatives.{{Cite web |last=Kang |first=Hanna |date=February 4, 2025 |title=Art dealer Esther Kim Varet launches bid for California's 40th Congressional District |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2025/02/04/los-angeles-art-dealer-esther-kim-varet-launches-bid-for-californias-40th-congressional-district/ |access-date=August 28, 2025 |website=Orange County Register |language=en-US}} She announced she would run as a Democrat in California's 40th Congressional District, aiming to unseat incumbent Republican Congresswoman [[Young Kim]] in the 2026 election. Kim Varet has framed her run as an extension of her community engagement, drawing on her art-world fundraising experience to build a political campaign network. Kim Varet has indicated that her decision to run was driven by concern for democratic institutions under the [[Presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] and a desire to bring fresh perspectives, including those of the arts community, into government{{Cite web |last=Pearlman |first=Jeff |title=Coffee with Esther Kim Varet |url=https://www.thetruthoc.com/p/coffee-with-esther-kim-varet |access-date=August 28, 2025 |website=www.thetruthoc.com |language=en}}. Kim Varet has advocated against increasing [[ |
In early 2025, Kim Varet publicly entered politics by declaring her candidacy for the United States House of Representatives.{{Cite web |last=Kang |first=Hanna |date=February 4, 2025 |title=Art dealer Esther Kim Varet launches bid for California's 40th Congressional District |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2025/02/04/los-angeles-art-dealer-esther-kim-varet-launches-bid-for-californias-40th-congressional-district/ |access-date=August 28, 2025 |website=Orange County Register |language=en-US}} She announced she would run as a Democrat in California's 40th Congressional District, aiming to unseat incumbent Republican Congresswoman [[Young Kim]] in the 2026 election. Kim Varet has framed her run as an extension of her community engagement, drawing on her art-world fundraising experience to build a political campaign network. Kim Varet has indicated that her decision to run was driven by concern for democratic institutions under the [[Presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] and a desire to bring fresh perspectives, including those of the arts community, into government{{Cite web |last=Pearlman |first=Jeff |title=Coffee with Esther Kim Varet |url=https://www.thetruthoc.com/p/coffee-with-esther-kim-varet |access-date=August 28, 2025 |website=www.thetruthoc.com |language=en}}. Kim Varet has advocated against increasing [[antisemitism]], claiming that "being a [[Zionism|Zionist]] is not a partisan issue".{{Cite web |last=Rod |first=Marc |date=2025-07-02 |title=California Democrat says anti-Israel extremism has ‘decimated the Democratic Party’ |url=https://jewishinsider.com/2025/07/esther-kim-varet-california-democrat-israel-antisemitism/ |access-date=2025-11-19 |website=Jewish Insider |language=en-US}} |
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== Personal life == |
== Personal life == |
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