The Fall’s Most Fascinating Art Show? The Met Trying to Fix Itself
There are many exciting museum shows to see across the country in coming months. But of particular interest to me will be the one unfolding in real time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as this august institution tries to right itself after several years of staff unrest, financial mismanagement and overreach. A lot has happened since Thomas P. Campbell, its director of eight years, resigned under pressure in late February, but it’s not over. The most obvious questions are: Who will be the next director, and when will he — or, better yet, she — be appointed?
Increasingly Mr. Campbell’s eight years, with their achievements and their stumbles, look like an inevitable interregnum. The 31-year tenure of the much-admired Philippe de Montebello — the longest-serving director in the Met’s history — was a hard act to follow, much less in an economy recovering from the 2008 crash. It seems likely that any successor was in for a very difficult time, excepting possibly a seasoned caretaker or a visionary. . .