Philippe De Montebello

Philippe de Montebello served as director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 1977 to 2008. During his tenure the institution acquired some 84,000 works and objects, increased its attendance to a peak of 5.1 million visitors in 2000, and became the world's leading art book publisher. He has also worked as an ambassador for art and museums around the world. His many honors include the National Medal of Arts in 2003, and the Mayor of New York's Award for Arts and Culture in 2007. Updated 2009