Metropolitan Museum of Art director since '77 says he's retiring
By MARCUS FRANKLIN | Associated Press Writer
11:21 PM EST, January 8, 2008

NEW YORK - Philippe de Montebello, the longest-serving director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, announced Tuesday his plan to retire.

De Montebello, who took over the museum in 1977, plans to stay on the job until Dec. 31 or until a successor is found, the museum said.

"Difficult as it is to contemplate life away from an institution to which I have devoted all but a few seasons of my professional life," de Montebello said in a statement issued by the museum, "I know the time is right for both my own _ and the museum's _ inevitable transition."

James R. Houghton, chairman of the museum's board of trustees, said in a statement that to call de Montebello's decision to retire the end of an era "surely constitutes one of the great understatements, not only in the museum's life, but in the cultural life of the city, the state, the nation and the world."

"He leaves an incomparable legacy," Houghton said. "No museum director anywhere has done more to expand and enrich the appreciation of art for more generations and with greater taste, erudition, diplomacy and vision."

De Montebello, who made the announcement Tuesday at the museum trustees' January board meeting, said, "I reach this decision confident that I leave the Metropolitan well-positioned to thrive long into the 21st century," the museum's statement read.

He planned to make a formal announcement Wednesday.

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De Montebello, a graduate of Harvard University and New York University, first joined the museum in 1963 as a curatorial assistant. Except for four and a half years he spent directing the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, he has spent all of his career at the Metropolitan.

In 1974, he returned to the museum to become the vice director for curatorial and educational affairs. In 1988, he also became chief executive, overseeing a staff of more than 300 curators, conservators, educators, librarians and administrative workers.

The 138-year-old Manhattan museum said it has nearly doubled in size and significantly increased gallery space and collections under de Montebello's leadership. Attendance rose from 3.5 million in 1977 to a peak of 5.1 million in 2000. Also, educational programs, online resources and the museum's publication of collection and exhibition catalogues have increased.

Some who have visited the museum might have heard de Montebello's voice; he's long been the narrator of the museum's audio guide program.

"He has created a singular legacy that gives pride to every museum employee and provides enlightenment to every visitor who passes through our doors," said Emily Rafferty, the museum's president.

A trustees search committee has been formed to find a new director.