Official Statement of the Metropolitan Museum

          Philippe de Montebello, our distinguished, longtime Director, has announced his plans to retire from The Metropolitan Museum of Art after more than 30 years at the helm. His departure will occur by December 2008, or when a successor is chosen. A Trustee committee has been appointed to conduct this important search. Be assured that I will keep you advised of the progress of this effort.

          Philippe de Montebello is in a sense irreplaceable. His manifest contributions to the Met span four decades highlighted by accomplishments that have transformed the Museum—its collections, programs, and galleries—and will sustain the institution for generations to come.

          In the realm of acquisitions alone—think, for example, of van Gogh’s Wheat Field with Cypresses, Duccio’s Madonna and Child, or the entire Annenberg collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings—he has immeasurably enhanced our encyclopedic holdings. Under his leadership, our libraries, scientific laboratories, and conservation facilities have become the most advanced in the world, our website, with its Timeline of Art History, one of the most widely used. The Metropolitan’s peerless program of exhibitions, educational outreach, concerts, lectures, and publications grows greater every season. And over the last few years alone, the Museum building has been vastly enhanced, both inside and out: from the again–gleaming façade along Fifth Avenue, to vast new public spaces throughout our two–million–square–foot landmark structure. Our continuing strength and vitality owe much to Philippe’s vision.

          But it is Philippe de Montebello’s impact on the public that may rank as his most notable achievement. I can say with confidence that no other museum director in the world has done more to expand and enrich the appreciation of art, and with greater taste, erudition, diplomacy and authority.

          I know that all of our members and friends—especially those who have been part of the Metropolitan family for many years, and have borne witness to the transformation of the Museum under Philippe’s leadership—now join me in thanking this extraordinary man as he proceeds to the final phase of his long and remarkable career here. We will of course miss him enormously.

          At the same time, our President, Emily Rafferty, believes as I do that one of the Director’s greatest legacies lies in the Museum’s position of unparalleled strength as it confidently faces the future. Our recently opened Greek and Roman, Oceanic, and 19th and Early 20th Century galleries, our new Uris Center for Education, and our planned rehabilitation of both the American Wing, now underway, and the Islamic Galleries, scheduled for reopening in 2011, all point to an exciting era in marvelous new and reinstalled spaces. As these projects reflect, the Met will continue to give pride of place to the permanent collections, just as Philippe has emphasized throughout his tenure as Director.

          Our future exhibition program will include a dazzling array of masterpieces on view from around the world. Our concerts and lectures schedule, our publication plans, and our outreach to students and teachers, will remain as ambitious as ever. Our exceptionally strong staff continues to perform with remarkable energy, skill, and devotion. And we are particularly grateful that our Trustees, sponsors, and members have long provided the generous support we need to fulfill our mission. In short, we are poised—and committed—to serve our visitors with distinction well into the new century.

          I am sure that you join me in wishing our Director many years of further contributions to the field to which he has devoted his entire career. Our best means of expressing our gratitude will be to re-dedicate ourselves to maintaining the high standards he has pursued—indeed, exemplified—ever since he began his directorship. This, we pledge to do.

          You have my very best wishes for a splendid new year.

Sincerely,