Last November, CultureGrrl named Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, as her number-one pick to succeed Philippe de Montebello in 2020, when he at last vacates the directorship of the Metropolitan Museum. Last May, The Art Newspaper named MacGregor as one of four “possible contenders” for the post. (The other three were on my list of people who should not or would not succeed.)
Today’s Bloomberg reports MacGregor’s response to this media speculation. He told Farah Nayeri:
I read it in the press. I was surprised to read it. Nobody has spoken to me about it. I’m perfectly happy here.
We Metropolitan Museum-ologists duly note that these quotes contain nothing to indicate that he would flatly refuse the job, if offered. So let the baseless speculation continue!
By the way, how old will MacGregor be in 2020, when Philippe decides to retire?