NEW YORK—Philippe de Montebello, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's director of 30 years, has announced he will retire. De Montebello, who has been at the helm of the museum for almost a third of its entire history, is planning to step down by December 31, 2008, according to the museum. "To say that his decision marks the end of an era surely constitutes one of the great understatements, not only in the museum's life, but in the cultural life of the city, the state, the nation, and the world," said James R. Houghton, chairman of the Met's Board of Trustees.

Born in Paris in 1936, de Montebello began his career at the Met in 1963 in the Department of European Paintings, rising quickly through the curatorial ranks. He spent his entire career at the museum, save for four and a half years, 1969 to 1974, when he left to direct the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. During his tenure at the Met, de Montebello focused on fund-raising, educating the public, building the collections, expanding the museum's programs, and enlarging and refining the museum's buildings. The museum has doubled in size since de Montebello took over. His major building projects have included the museum's new 57,000-square-foot Greek and Roman Galleries and 25,000-square-foot Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education, both of which opened in 2007.

De Montebello has received countless awards over the course of his career, including Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1991 and honorary doctorates from Harvard University, New York University, Dartmouth College, Lafayette College, Bard College, Iona College, and the Savannah College of the Arts.