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Philippe de Montebello | |
|---|---|
| Born | Guy Philippe Henri Lannes de Montebello (1936-05-16)May 16, 1936 (age 88) |
| Nationality | French, American |
| Education | New York University Institute of Fine Arts |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Occupation | museum director |
| Known for | Director of theMetropolitan Museum of Art |
| Children | Laure de Montebello Marc André Marie de Montebello Charles de Montebello |
Philippe de Montebello (born May 16, 1936 inParis) is a French and American museum director. He served from 1977 to 2008 as thedirector of theMetropolitan Museum of Art inNew York. On his retirement, he was both the longest-serving director in the institution's history and the third longest-serving director of any major art museum in the world (first isIrina Antonova while the second isKnud W. Jensen). From January 2009, Montebello took up a post as the firstFiske Kimball Professor in the History and Culture of Museums atNew York University'sInstitute of Fine Arts.
Born to a Frencharistocratic family, de Montebello immigrated to theUnited States of America in the 1950s, and became a naturalized citizen of the US in 1955. He was educated in New York City at theLycée Français de New York, graduated fromHarvard University with a degree in art history, and earned an MA fromNew York University, after which he embarked on a career inFine Arts. He became the Director of the Metropolitan Museum in 1977 and has become widely known as the public face of the museum.
He announced his retirement on 8 January 2008, stating that he intended to step down by the end of 2008 after more than 31 years at his post.[1] He is currently the chairman of theHispanic Society of America, and became a director in 2017 of theAquavella Galleries in New York.[2]
Born Guy Philippe Henri Lannes de Montebello in Paris in 1936 to a family descended fromJean Lannes, Duke of Montebello, a lowborn soldier elevated to high nobility by his close friendNapoleon I. De Montebello was the second of four sons. His father, Marquis André Roger Lannes de Montebello, December 2, 1986), was aportrait painter,art critic and a member of theFrench Resistance duringWorld War II. His mother, Germaine Wiener de Croisset, was a descendant of theMarquis de Sade,[3] a daughter of theplaywrightFrancis de Croisset, and a half-sister of the arts patronMarie-Laure de Noailles. One of de Montebello's great-great-great-grandfathers wasJean Lannes.
Both parents were involved in a project to develop a form of three-dimensionalphotography, and it was in search ofventure capital for this enterprise that the family came to New York in 1951. Whereas his brothers would all eventually return to France to take up jobs inbanking, he stayed in the United States and became anAmerican citizen in 1955.[citation needed]
De Montebello was educated at theLycée Français in New York, where he received hisbaccalauréat in 1954. He then went on to studyart history atHarvard University, graduatingmagna cum laude in 1958. During his freshman year, De Montebello lived inStoughton Hall.[4] He continued his studies at theNew York UniversityInstitute of Fine Arts, where he studied underCharles Sterling, an expert inFrench Renaissance art.[5]
In 1963, he began work for the Met as a curatorial assistant in the Department of European Paintings, rising to full curator. He then spent four-and-a-half-years (1969–1974) as Director of theMuseum of Fine Arts inHouston,Texas, returning to the Met as vice director for curatorial and educational affairs. He became director in 1977.
On June 24, 1961 in New York, he married Edith Myles (born in New York, October 20, 1939), who is the financial-aid director of theTrinity School in New York City. They have three children.
On January 8, 2008, he announced his intention to retire by the end of 2008 (Vogel, Carol (2008-01-09). "Director (and Voice) of Met Museum to Retire".The New York Times.). He was succeeded byThomas Campbell in September 2008.[6]
De Montebello is the first professor to teach the history and culture of museums atNew York University's Institute of Fine Arts. He began teaching at NYU in January 2009 as well as consulting and lecturing at several museums on the modernization of their collections.[7] In 2012, de Montebello served as theHumanitas Visiting Professor in the History of Art at theUniversity of Cambridge.[8]
Since 2008, De Montebello has also served as co-host ofNYC-ARTS, a weekly program highlighting current New York City exhibitions, cultural institutions and profiling relevant contributors to the arts onThirteen/WNET.[9]
In April, 2015 theHispanic Society of America announced the appointment of Philippe de Montebello to chair the Society's Board of Overseers and spearhead a major effort to roughly double the museum's size by renovating the now-vacant, adjacent, Beaux Arts, former building of theMuseum of the American Indian.[10]
Montebello was named a Gold Medal Honoree of theNational Institute of Social Sciences in 1989.[11] Montebello was made aChevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1991 (he was promoted to the rank of Officier in 2007). De Montebello was elected to theAmerican Philosophical Society in 2001[12] and theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004.[13] In 2007 De Montebello was awarded theOrder of the Rising Sun, Gold & Silver Star, from the Government of Japan.[14] In 2017, Montebello received theEdmund Burke Award for Culture and Society, awarded by monthly cultural reviewThe New Criterion.
| Cultural offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by |  Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 1977–2008 | Succeeded by |
