Vanity Fair has a lengthy piece on the story behind the departure of Thomas Campbell from The Met, documenting the frequent internal conflicts and changes in focus that ultimately compounded the struggles the museum has faced in recent years, and ultimately contributed to Campbell’s departure. Of particular note is the case of the Leonard Lauder collection, and the agreements made between the museum and Lauder in order to secure the works. “It’s one thing to accept such a collection. It’s another thing to accept that you’re going to have to increase the space of exhibition, given such treasures,” says Robert Storr, a professor at the Yale School of Art and former MoMA Curator. “What makes a vital collection over long periods of time is not to have chapels to particular art, much less particular collections.”Read more at Vanity Fair
