The Man of the Met

Thomas P. Campbell Looks Ahead

Story by Molly Sellers
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
March 18, 2015

In the five years since Thomas P. Campbell became

the director and chief executive of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, the museum world has had to
grapple with declining philanthropic dollars,
mushrooming entertainment options and a rapidly
developing digital world. Spoken like a true scholar, Campbell says, Museums provide
places of relaxation and inspiration. And most importantly, they are a place of authenticity.
We live in a world of reproductionsthe objects in museums are real. Its a way to get away
from the overload of digital technology. Campbell believes technology is the biggest issue
facing museums today, however the Met has been working to adapt to the digital age. The
Museum has made a huge investment in transitioning from being an analog museum to a
digital museum and there are great opportunities in that to see the collection on the whole,
to deliver the information to their audiences in new ways. In fact, technology has helped the
museum reach out to brand new audiences. The Mets attendance has increased from 4.5
million to 6 million over five years. Online, the Museums website had over 40 million
visitors.
Despite the issues revolved around museum popularity, the Met has a lot to look
forward to right now. Campbell has been in charge of major capital projectsthe American
Wing, the Islamic galleries and the representation of the European paintings collection. Hes
currently working on the reopening of the Costume Institution in May. This has been a

project that has long been planned but has been undertaken in the last two years. Weve
expanded the exhibition space and weve put in place state-of-the-art storage and
conservation facilities, said Campbell. In the fall, he plans to reopen the plaza, which has
been under construction outside the museum.
Campbell has come into a difficult job at a difficult time. The job is physically and
mentally demanding. My day starts at 8 in the morning. I have meetings through the day
into the evening and very often dinners and benefits at night. This is nonstop, he says. The
CEO has undertaken several initiatives over the last five years, some of which are ongoing.
Some of them have been as simple as numbering the galleries and having numbered
mapsboth online and physicallyrecognizing that, with an ever more international visitor
ship, some people are not familiar with the artistic traditions that we represent, said
Campbell. The director has also introduced a number of new audio tourstranslated into 10
languages.
The Met is now more technologically advanced because of digital demand. Weve
wired the whole museum there is wireless access everywhere in the museum for free. The
catalog collection is now online and weve also put a lot of investment into creating crossmuseum applications, Campbell says. The museums website has a number of publications
that are aimed to audiences who want not such in-depth scholarly information but to get an
understanding of why the pieces of art are important.
When Campbell signed up to be the man of the Met an explicit part of his job
description regarded modern and contemporary art. A poor lay out and constrictive gallery is
what Campbell was left with. The Breuer building, at Madison and 75th street, is Campbells
solution. Its a space thats going to be especially well suited to the display of modern and
contemporary art. We can provide an element of context that will differentiate our programs

from those of MoMA and the Guggenheim and the Whitney, Campbell says. The new home
to modern and contemporary art is a blank canvas for the Met. We can perhaps be more
experimental there, we can break away from the departmental restraints that often
characterize the programs we run here at the main museum and we can really respond to
the way contemporary artists are using multiple media, Campbell says.
The Met has undergone and still is undergoing many changes. Some people might
ask, Is it too much change? By and large this is evolution, not revolution, Campbell says.
The financial crisis of 2008 and 2009 forced the museum to think very hard about its
priorities. The mission of the museum lies in scholarship, education and accessibility, which
remain the Mets top concern. Many people have had issues with the museums admission
policy, believing it should be a compulsory charge. I felt, and the board felt, that making
admission a voluntary donation was central to the integrity of an institution that was trying to
make itself as accessible as possible, Campbell says. Through financial pressure and
unprecedented digital world, the Met has sustained its mission. The average visitor costs
us about $45 and we ask for a donation of $25. Of course, the reality is many visitors give
much less, but thats great. I dont want to start charging for exhibitions. Here we have this
amazing cornucopia of exhibitions and whatever youve donated its all accessible,
Campbell says. The Metropolitan Museum of Art collects, studies, conserves, and presents
significant works of art across all times and cultures in order to connect people to creativity,
knowledge, and ideas. Campbell has accomplished several of the many goals the Met set
out to achieve when he was first hired as director and chief executive at the museum. Hes
still in the process of carrying out several other projects that will benefit the museum and its
visitors and members. Thomas Campbell proves to be the man of the Met.