The Met Director Thomas P. Campbell Announces Resignation

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Thomas P. Cambell, the director and chief executive of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, announced his resignation Tuesday, according to a museum statement. Campbell will leave his position with the museum on June 30 after an eight-year tenure which brought both record attendance growth and financial troubles for The Met.

"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," Campbell said in a statement.

The Met's Chairman of the Board of Directors Daniel Brodsky praised Campbell's tenure at the museum, but the New York Times reported that the circumstances surrounding his resignation suggest Campbell may have been forced out of his position.

"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," Brodsky said in a statement.

But haughty press statement aside, the truth is that Campbell's tenure as director of The Met wasn't always rosy. Last year The Met cut nearly 100 jobs through buyouts and layoffs of its curatorial, conservation and administrative staff and in February the museum announced it would be cutting programming and delaying a $600 million expansion project for several years.

The Met’s President, Daniel H. Weiss, will serve as interim Chief Executive Officer and to work with Campbell to create a transition plan for the museum, according to a statement.

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