I was saddened to learn last week of the death of Thomas Hoving, former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. His memoir, “Making the Mummies Dance” (1992) and another book "False Impressions: The Hunt for Big-Time Art Fakes" (1996) had a lasting impact on how I approach and consume art.
Hoving was the director of the Met from 1967 to 1977 and is credited with the institution's transformation from a staid, moribund place to the world-class museum it is today. It is under his tenure that the Met enlarged its collections to include the Temple of Dendur, a contemporary art department and new galleries dedicated to Islamic art. Incidentally, he also presided over the expansion of the Met's Costume Institute and the hiring of Diana Vreeland as its director.
What I admired most about him however was his no-nonsense, down-to-earth approach to art. In North America, we have a peculiarly elitist attitude towards art as reflected by the exorbitant cost of admission at most museums and countless policies such as those that restrict access of families with small children. Mr. Hoving had an uncanny ability to cut through the pretentiousness that swaddles the art world in the U.S. and present art in a way that was accessible to all. I loved that most about him. Requiescant in pace Mr. Hoving. You will be missed.
Sincerely,
The Luxe Chronicles
Comments