The extraordinary legacy of Philippe de Montebello, who served for 31 years as Director of The Metropolitan Museum Art, is chronicled in this one-hour documentary. During his tenure, Mr. de Montebello guided the acquisition of more than 84,000 works of art from around the globe, demanded innovation in conservation techniques and oversaw the doubling of the physical size of this world-renowned cultural institution.

	Mangaaka Power Figure Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola; 19th century Wood, paint, metal, resin, ceramic http://xrl.us/bgtipq © Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art A century ago, African art was collected by anthropologists but rarely by art museums. Acquired in 2008 during de Montebellos’ directorship, this 19th century Kongo power figure now fronts the Met’s African art collection, daring the viewer to delve deeper into the African aesthetic. Kongo power figures were the collaborative creations of sculptors and ritual specialists who sought to inspire awe, to intimidate, and to evoke a power without bounds.

	Wheat Field with Cypresses, 1889 Vincent van Gogh Oil on canvas http://xrl.us/bgtips © Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art Wheat Field with Cypresses painted in 1889 by Vincent van Gogh was purchased for the Met in 1993 by publishing magnate Walter Annenberg and his wife Lee at a cost of $57 million. De Montebello declared, “This is a picture that is really canonical in the life of Van Gogh …it has everything.”

	Striding Horned Demon Mesopotamia or Iran, ca. 3000 B.C. Copper http://xrl.us/bgtipu © Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art Acquired in 2007, this demon figure from Mesopotamia with its horned head, bird of prey cape, muscular limbs and confident stride is not quite seven inches tall. It was created 5,000 years ago just as the first cities in the world were emerging in the “cradle of civilization,” today’s southern Iraq. De Montebello recalls, “We saw this coming up at auction and we just pounced on this one.”

	Wall Panels, ca. 1799 Lyon, France Woven silk and metal thread http://xrl.us/bgtipy © Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art For more than 200 years, this extraordinary 18th century French panel – one of a pair -- languished behind the scenes in a king’s pleasure palace outside of Madrid. The pair was purchased by the Met in 2006. “The two panels have never been used,” says curator Melinda Watt, “They’re in practically pristine condition.”

	Bust of Alexander Menshikov, ca. 1703 Unknown Swiss, Austrian, or German artist Red pine http://xrl.us/bgtip4 © Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art Sometimes the only justification for acquiring a work of art rests in the eye of the beholder. In 1996, de Montebello urged the purchase of this magnificent wooden bust even though no one knew the artist, the subject, the country or the date. It took the Met’s scholars five years to identify the sitter as Alexander Menshikov, a major Russian statesman and close friend of Peter the Great.

	Female Dancer, Western Han dynasty, 2nd century B.C. China Earthenware http://xrl.us/beny2y © Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art Acquired in 1992, this figure from the 2d century B.C. is a quintessential example of early Chinese sculpture. Unlike the Greeks, who adopted a geometric approach, the Chinese sculptors sought to capture the "life spirit" of the human subject

	Madonna and Child, ca. 1295–1300 Duccio di Buoninsegna Tempera and gold on wood http://xrl.us/bgtip8 © Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art This tiny gem, Duccio’s Madonna and Child, was purchased in 2004 for $45 million. Here Duccio explores the psychological relationship between Mother and Child, representing a transforming moment in Western art. Few of Duccio's paintings survive. The damage along the bottom of the original frame is from candles lit before the picture, which was used for private devotion.

	Rubens, His Wife, Helena Fourment, and One of Their Children, ca. 1635 Peter Paul Rubens Oil on wood http://xrl.us/bgtiqa © Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art Acquired in 1981, this large and imposing painting by the great Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens in 1635 is at the same time a very intimate portrait, showing the artist, his young wife Helena, and one of their children.

	Leaves from a Beatus Manuscript Spain, ca. 1180 Tempera, gold, and ink on parchment http://xrl.us/bgtiqc © Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art These leaves from an illustrated Spanish manuscript dating to ca. 1180 struck de Montebello “as a work of huge importance and manifest beauty.” They were added to the collection in 1991.

	© Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art In 2007, the year before de Montebello announced his departure, he oversaw the opening of a bevy of new and expanded galleries and the refurbishing of the museum’s 1895 Beaux-Arts façade. The director declared that the museum was “invigorated” by the cleaning and “aglow” as never before in our lifetimes.