Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Former Met Director Thomas Hoving Dies At 78
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 11, 2009
Modified Dec 12, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 11, 2009
Modified Dec 12, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Colorful and controversial former Metropolitan Museum of Art director Thomas Hoving died in his Manhattan home yesterday of cancer; he was 78 years old. Hoving headed the museum between 1967 and 1977 and wrote in his memoir, Making the Mummies Dance that he had to be "a gifted connoisseur, a well-trained scholar, an aesthete, a patient diplomat, a deft fundraiser, an executive, and a conciliator" as well as “part gunslinger, ward heeler, legal fixer, accomplice smuggler, anarchist, and toady."
While he had his critics (one author and art historian said he was a "perennial thorn in the side of the museum mafia"), many credit Hoving with breathing life back into the Met — including bringing the most popular exhibit in its history there (treasures from Egyptian King Tutankhamun's tomb). He also allowed people to eat on the steps, and NYMag notes that he's responsible for the colorful banners hanging down advertising the big exhibits. Former Met director Philippe de Montebello said, "I loved working for Tom. He was exhilarating, scintillating, brilliant."
The NY Times has a lengthy tribute to the man, who they quote as saying: “Great art should be shown with great excitement.” And in July, he said of his cancer diagnosis, "I'm a goner. But I have no regrets. I've had a terrific life."
Tagged
death
director
met
metropolitan museum of art
Thomas Hoving
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
A reliably Republican part of NJ, until ICE came to town
The Trump administration’s plan to convert a warehouse in Roxbury into an ICE detention center has upended local politics ahead of the midterm elections.
By
Mike Hayes
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
NYC school integration debate exposes tensions between Black parents and Mamdani
Some see a blind spot when it comes to the representation of Black New Yorkers in Mamdani's administration and agenda.
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
NYC school integration debate exposes tensions between Black parents and Mamdani
Some see a blind spot when it comes to the representation of Black New Yorkers in Mamdani's administration and agenda.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Queens man charged with hate crime at Jewish-owned bagel shop displaying Israeli flags
By
Giulia Heyward
MTA train yards are in such bad shape plants are growing out of the roof, watchdog says
By
Stephen Nessen
High-ranking NYC officials to testify in ex-buildings boss Eric Ulrich's corruption trial
By
David Brand
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .