Bloom joined the Huntington Library in 2017 after a term as Assistant Professor of East Asian art at Indiana University. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University in the history of art and architecture, specializing in the visual culture of China's Song dynasty (960–1279). He holds his MA from Harvard as well, and his BA from Middlebury College in art and architecture history and French. At Harvard, he also served as research assistant for the Harvard Art Museums and worked for the Pulitzer Arts Foundation in St. Louis. His museum experience also includes an internship at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai.