How will a change in leadership at the Metropolitan Museum of Art shift the museum's direction?
How will a change in leadership at the Metropolitan Museum of Art shift the museum's direction?
In 2008, Philippe de Montebello, who had served as director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for more than 30 years, announced his retirement. De Montebello was a revered figure with a flair for working with the board of trustees and for creating blockbuster exhibitions. He had also weathered a controversial exhibit, arranged by the museum's curator of modern art, of Damien Hirst's so-called "shark" sculpture, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. Not long after the shark's installation, de Montello was succeeded by Thomas Campbell, a long-time curator at the Met with a specialty in European tapestry. At a time of financial instability and shifts in museum goers tastes, this appointment appeared a commitment to the status quo. In this case, students explore how this new leader will change the museum's direction.
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