Following the departure of Thomas P. Campbell last year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has selected a new director: Max Hollein, the director and chief executive of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Hollein, the son of architect Hans Hollein, will start at the East Coast institution this summer. His resume includes director positions at the Schirn Kunsthalle, the Städel Museum, and the Liebieghaus in Frankfurt, Germany. Reporter Robin Pogrebin writes in The New York Times:
“Unlike his recent predecessors Philippe de Montebello, who served for 31 years, and Thomas P. Campbell, who served for eight, Mr. Hollein did not ascend from the Met’s curatorial ranks. He was reportedly a runner-up when Mr. Campbell was chosen in 2008.
But he was an appealing candidate this time around for a museum seeking a stabilizing force after a period of financial turmoil. He is an aggressive fund-raiser with experience in contemporary art as well as a broader knowledge of art history, who has a track record of digital innovations.”
