Philippe de Montebello, director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from 1969-74, and longtime director of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, announced his retirement from the Met sometime later this year. Known for his aristocratic European style and resistance to modern art, Mr. de Montebello caps his stellar career with an "annus mirabilis" at the Met, with nine newly renovated galleries, an endowment of 2.9 billion, and Damien Hirst’s shark in formaldehyde on a three-year loan.
Three decades and you’re out
