HLAA's Conversation with the Met Museum Director
At a recent conversation with Thomas Campbell, the newly appointed director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, HLAA asked about his future plans for the museum. His responses were impressive and we found his good humor and approachability charming. Two of my questions that he specifically focused on were:

Q. Given that institutions do not take to change that easily, do you see the Met's responsibility as a museum adapting well to the ailing economy? If so, what aspects will be redefined or reinterpreted?

For example, the Met's recent program, "It's Time We Met," invited visitors to post hundreds of photographs taken at and around the museum. It was the museum's first visitor-contributed photo contest. There was hesitation at first to follow through but it ended up being an overwhelming success.
 
Moreover, he noted that the museum must be fair and consistent when making bold decisions, such as how to lay off 10% of their workforce. It must be across all departments and not single anyone out. The Met's endowment dropped from $2.9 billion in 2007 to $2.1 billion in 2008 and will continue to experience losses. As a result, he and his staff are taking measures to be as responsible as possible and to prevent the misappropriation of funds. Every little bit counts and even small donations to the museum matter.
 
Q. The Met's reputation precedes itself both here and abroad. What kind of initiatives are being put in place, if any, to develop its international presence or brand? Will it follow in the footsteps of the Louvre and the Guggenheim and go to Abu Dhabi?
 
Mr. Campbell stated that there are many untapped audiences all around the country to whom they have not yet reached. He thinks the Met should put greater efforts into capturing local audiences. According to a recent museum survey, 20% of the Met's visitors are recurring and 60% are first-time visitors or have visited only once. He believes the Met needs to find ways to get to reach out to potential first-time visitors and mentioned that Alice Walton's profound and committed local patronage for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas was a great example of reaching out to lesser-known art communities in the U.S. While it is important to keep an open mind to new opportunities abroad, the kind of support the Met needs right now is here in this country.
                                                                

                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                       The Crystal Bridges Museum 

                                                         

The Financial Times quotes HLAA principal on the current state of corporate art collections, "There's still a lot of activity in the art market..." Read full article by Melanie Tringham...

Lily Alexander interviews HLAA at ArtBasel MiamiBeach,

 

Ms. Lantos merges her passion for art and entrepreneurship at HLAA. Her dedication, hard work and intelligence have been an invaluable asset to HLAA. Her responsibilities at HLAA are comprehensive and include developing client proposals, art research, and coordinating art installations.

She studied Art History and Economics at Boston College. Her dual interests in finance and art led to positions at the Neue Galerie and Sotheby's. Prior to landing in the city, she received her M.A. in Art History at the University of Texas, Austin. Committed to both scholarly and artistic endeavors, she regularly attends lectures and art events around the  city. Jessica plans to obtain her Appraiser's Certificate in the near future.

 

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