Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, to Step Down
Board Chairman Daniel Brodsky Announces Interim Appointments
Thomas P. Campbell, Director and Chief Executive Officer of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, announced today that he will resign effective June 30, 2017. Campbell has served as the institution's Director and CEO since January 1, 2009. He joined The Met in 1996 as curator and expert in the area of tapestries. Daniel Brodsky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Met, announced a transition plan for the Museum.
"I couldn't be more proud of The Met's accomplishments during my tenure as Director and CEO," said Mr. Campbell. "In close collaboration with the Board, curators, and the entire organization, the Museum has evolved into a beacon of scholarship and understanding, not only for visitors to our New York sites, but globally through digital platforms, leadership exchanges, and more. At a moment when art and culture have an especially profound role to play in fostering mutual understanding, I am especially proud that our visitor base is the largest and most diverse in the Museum's history. At the same time, we are on track to be financially stable and have a solid strategic path forward."
Mr. Brodsky issued the following statement: "I and the entire Board leadership are incredibly proud of the accomplishments of the Museum during Tom's tenure: record audience growth; installation of several suites of beautiful new galleries; emergence as a worldwide digital leader; building a curatorial team without parallel; continuing a robust exhibitions and acquisitions program; and, of course, the expansion of The Met's commitment to its Modern and Contemporary program, most notably in The Met Breuer. Tom has led The Met in precisely the right direction during his tenure, and we look forward to continuing to make progress in the areas he and his team have led in the years ahead."
Mr. Brodsky also announced that he has asked The Met's President, Daniel H. Weiss, to serve as interim Chief Executive Officer and to work with Mr. Campbell and curatorial and administrative leadership on a transition plan.
Appointed in 1996 as an assistant curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts and supervising curator of the Antonio Ratti Textile Center, Campbell was a curator for 13 years, and organized two highly acclaimed tapestry exhibitions. He was appointed by The Met's Board of Directors in fall 2008, succeeding Philippe de Montebello. During his tenure, overall museum attendance has grown by 40 percent to a record seven million across The Met's three sites.
"I began at The Met 22 years ago as a curator and have been here almost my entire career. It was not an easy choice to step away, especially at such a vital and exciting moment. That said, its current vitality is what makes this the right moment to do so. I have worked hard, and I believe my efforts have paid off. For the next stage of my career I look forward to new challenges beyond the Met, always in service of art, scholarship, and understanding. Finally, Dan Weiss is a further reason this is an opportune moment to step away. I have worked closely with him since 2015, and I am confident his vision, level-headedness, and experience are precisely what the Museum needs to continue on its positive trajectory."
Mr. Campbell's accomplishments over the past eight years include the following:
Overall attendance has grown by 40 percent to a record 7 million across The Met's three sites.
Named by Trip Advisor as the #1 museum in the world for two years in a row.
Oversight of dozens of exhibitions and publications that have been recognized with awards and citations, including:
Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
China: Through the Looking Glass
Kongo: Power and Majesty
Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom
Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France
Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World
Assyria to Iberia at the Dawn of the Classical Age
The Drawings of Bronzino
Sultans of Deccan India, 1500–1700: Opulence and Fantasy
Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500–1800
Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens
Preliminary studies laying the foundation for the future growth of the institution, including a five-year strategic plan; and a buildings feasibility study
Opening The Met Breuer
Appointing many new department heads (curatorial, conservation and administrative) and hiring approximately 50 new curators and conservators.
Created a dedicated Digital Department to reach a new global audience. MetMuseum.org reaches 30 million users a year and tens of millions more through social media.
Completed the rebuilding of the American Wing
New galleries for the Islamic Department
New Costume Institute
Refurbishment of the European paintings galleries
Complete redesign of the Museum's plaza
Oversight of many acquisitions and significant gifts, including the transformative promised gift of Leonard Lauder's collection of Cubist art.
About The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in three iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.
Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum's galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.
Through its website and social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, The Met expands its visitor experience to people all over the world.For additional information about the Museum, visit www.metmuseum.org.
