Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for three decades, has announced his retirement; he’ll be leaving as soon as a successor is found. The 71-year-old French born Harvard graduate called it a “wrenching” decision but finally concluded that “to stay much further would be to skirt decency.” During de Montebello’s tenure the Met has greatly expanded its proportions, adding elegant new wings while steadily refurbishing down-at-heel areas, acquired prize collections such......

+ The New York Times' Michael Kimmelman calls the Whitney's Picasso show "a compare-and-contrast slide show." Ouch. + Meanwhile, The New York Sun explains why it took so long for the new Bronx Museum of Arts. + Flavorpill's Artkrush points us to MOMA's Project 83, the first solo US exhibition of Polish artist Monika Sosnowska's work. Clean architectural lines minus Ayn Rand utilitarianism. + Non-real estate whores, check out 101 Warren Street's rooftop, a 20,000......

The NY Press's editorial staff quit over the paper's decision not to publish the controversial Mohammed cartoon from the conservative Danish paper/tinderbox. The Politicker broke the news and printed editor-in-chief Harry Siegel's memo; here's part of it:New York Press, like so many other publications, has suborned its own professed principles. For all the talk of freedom of speech, only the New York Sun locally and two other papers nationally have mustered the minimal courage needed......

The Whitney Biennial opened yesterday, and the big news is that it isn't shocking. The Times Michael Kimmelman calls it "the most cogent and layered biennial in years." The Post finds that problematic, since everyone loves to hate the Biennial (James Gardner's description of "amphibious art" is also interesting). Gothamist would have to agree - there's nothing more refreshing that damning "modern" art during a walk down Madison Avenue...and by its nature, provocative work stirs......

The Matthew Barney show. At the Guggenheim. Go. Michael Kimmelman loves it but that shouldn't stop you. Neither should claims that Barney is the most important artist of our time. You can buy a Cremaster poster from Film Forum. And what does cremaster mean? Support his equally praised and possibly equally wacky paramour, Bjork.......