Rogues' Gallery: The Secret History of the Moguls and the Money that Made the Metropolitan Museum

by Michael Gross

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is America’s wealthiest and arguably the world’s greatest art museum—and behind every great institution lies a complex, multifaceted story. Now, Michael Gross gives us the first unauthorized and definitive history of the museum and the juicy details of the lives of the powerful players who made it what it is today. With a colorful cast of characters that includes directors Guy-Philippe Lannes de Montebello, Luigi Palma di Cesnola, and Thomas P. F. Hoving, and a glittering array of supporting players such as John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Annette de la Renta, J. P. Morgan, Brooke Astor, Robert Moses, Diana Vreeland, and Jane Wrightsman, Gross looks at the museum’s rich social history and exposes the secrets behind the upper class’s cultural and philanthropic ambitions. From the trustees to the donors and the curators to the collectors, the startling 138-year tale of the Met and the masterpieces that live inside its walls makes for an astonishing and satisfying read.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction, Museums, Art History, American History, Politics

545 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

This book list is a work in progress. Michael Gross is recognized as one of America’s most provocative writers of non-fiction–its “foremost chronicler of the upper-crust,” says curbed.com. His latest book Unreal Estate, to be published November 1, 2011, is a west coast version of his bestseller, 740 Park, this time exposing the most exclusive neighborhoods of Los Angeles–Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills, Bel Air and Beverly Park–and their residents. 740 Park, published in 2005, is the inside story of New York’s richest, most prestigious cooperative apartment building. Built by James T. Lee, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ grandfather, and long the residence of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., 740 Park is today the home of some of New York’s wealthiest and most prominent families. Fortune has described 740 Park as “jaw-dropping apartment porn.” It offers an unprecedented peek into the world of such latterday financial heroes and villains as Stephen Schwarzman, Ezra Merkin and John Thain.

In between these real estate epics, Gross published the wildly controversial expose of New York’s cultural elite Rogues’ Gallery: The Secret History of the Moguls and the Money that Made the Metropolitan Museum in 2009, setting off an extraordinary campaign by some of New York’s most influential citizens to suppress the book. It failed. The New York Times Book Review called it “a blockbuster exhibition of human achievement and flaws” and Vanity Fair said it is simply “explosive.” Why? “Gross demonstrates he knows his stuff. It’s a terrific tale…gossipy, color-rich, fact-packed …What Gross reveals is stuff that more people should know,” according to USA Today. A paperback edition was released in May 2010.

Before 740 Park, Gross wrote Genuine Authentic, a biography of fashion designer Ralph Lauren. It was acclaimed by The New York Times as a work of “impressive reporting” that “hack(s) through the hype and half-truths” of the Polo purveyor’s legend. Publishers Weekly praised his “meticulous research and artful prose…The crackerjack journalist simultaneously tells a compelling story and gives it meat enough to be satisfying.”

A Contributing Editor of Travel & Leisure, Gross has also worked as a columnist for The New York Times, GQ, Tatler, Town & Country, and The Daily News; a Contributing Editor of New York (where he wrote 26 cover stories, including the magazine’s all-time best-selling reported cover story on John F. Kennedy, Jr.), and of Talk; a Senior Writer at Esquire, and a Senior Editor at George.

In 2000, Gross published My Generation, a generational biography of the Baby Boom. It was called “wonderful” by the Washington Times, “trenchant, well-dramatized, thought-provoking and unusual” by Kirkus Reviews and “hugely entertaining…a brilliantly reported story,” by the Orlando Sentinel.

Gross’s 1995 book, Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women, was an investigative tour-de-force, and a blistering expose of the fashion-modeling business. It was a New York Times bestseller, and a selection of the Quality Paperback Book Club. Model, which remains in print and in demand more than a dozen years after its first publication, was also published in France, the U. K., Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and China. Most recently, an updated edition was published in Russia. Click here to read reviews of Model.

Over the years Gross has profiled such subjects as John F. Kennedy Jr., Greta Garbo, Stephanie of Monaco, Richard Gere, Alec Baldwin, Madonna, and Ivana Trump; fashion figures Tina Chow, Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg, Isaac Mizrahi, Ralph Lauren, and Steven Meisel, and he’s written on topics as diverse as philanthropy, the theft of the internet domain sex.com, plastic surgery, divorce, the A-List, Sex in the 90s and Greenwich Village-the last in an article that introduced the phrase “quality of life” into New York City’s 1993 mayoral campaig

Reviews

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. BE AWARE! , if you are not that interested in the MET museum or have never been there or just want to read a simple book before your first visit, this is NOT the book for you. This book is complicated, boring at some points and confusing at others. The other only comparison I can find to describe this book would be , if you watch a hot dog documentary, you learn a lot about the process and you learn how a hot made , but did you really wanted to know that? .only read this book if you have a passion about the MET and/or the elite art collectors that made the museum possible, as passion will be the only think that will get you through this book.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read the final 1/3 of the book for work purposes. It's all right, I suppose, but I was not so entranced that I felt compelled to read the beginning 2/3. The problem is that the author has to deal with a lot of names. He also had two main themes running through: the members of the board and the curatorial staff of the Met. Either subject would be enough for one book. Here I felt confused and dissatisfied.

Oh, and PICTURES. Surprisingly for a book about a visual medium, there were no pictures. I could not get a feel for anything without the images, and was surprised at how much I missed not seeing a visual representation of the people being discussed (it might have helped a lot to differentiate them).

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note to self: don't donate to the Metropolitan Museum, apparently they don't want you. This narrative history of the museum's bosses may be the last blow to my desire to work there, which was on its last legs over the whole repatriation issue.

There are, frankly, too many damn people — I had a really hard time keeping track of who was who and what they were responsible for and what their relationships were to each other. Junior Rockefeller made the biggest impression, and seemed the sanest person in this entire book (a Rockefeller. Sane. I know.), while Tom Hoving was just endless. I was kind of surprised by how little attention was paid to Phillippe de Montebello, but that's probably a lack of historical perspective talking.

[JennyB · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know how it is very difficult to decide not to finish a book? Like, no matter how much you dislike something, you tend to force yourself to slog through it? Masochistic as that is, I do it all the time, especially with non-fiction. Even if I don't like it, I figure, I'm likely to learn something from it, right?

But this time, this one, no. Could. Not. Finish. It wasn't so bad at first, reading how the Met was established, and all of the very rich people who donated its initial collections. After that though, it was mostly a gruesome lot of detail about a bunch of indistinguishable white guys bickering over... well, god, everything really.

At the halfway point, when I couldn't keep track of who was whom, and I couldn't have cared any less what they were bitching about, I realized it was time to admit defeat, and move on to the next book in the pile.

[Michael Llewellyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably way more than you need/want to know about the Met, but Gross has done another splendid and thoroughly researched job as he traces the history of this venerable Fifth Avenue institution. I admit to skimming over certain heavily detailed passages, but because I lived in Manhattan 1972-1991 I remember Thomas Hoving's crazy shenanigans and enjoyed revisiting them. Some deliciously colorful anecdotes provide relief from what could've been a dry, dusty work. Who knew that black activists invaded a dinner at the Museum's exclusive private dining room and released cockroaches? Or that Brooke Astor and Joan Payson indulged in a playful tug of war with a $19,000 Islamic bowl? Once you read Rogues' Gallery, you'll never see museums in the same light.

[Denise Tamayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, who has the ability to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art often, this was a very interesting book of how and with what funds the Museum got started and its history of the Directors and Board Members from then (late 1800's) to present day. It is a book laden with different personalities of the NYC elite (J.P. Morgan, J.D. Rockefeller, Nelson Rockefeller, up to the director ... Thomas P Campbell in 2008. There are many intriguing details: how the Cloisters was procured for the Met, how it was the directors' role to woo famous (and ultimately very rich patrons of the arts). It is a very densely detailed book and somewhat eye opening. For me, it was difficult to read in a timely fashion; I think that it is best read in chapters over a long period of time (so one can digest what one has read).

[Nana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. While there is a lot of interesting, in depth overview into the long winding history of the MET, the author often wastes time going into the salacious, gossipy weeds. And this book is already quite long. It is really more about the museum’s personalities than the museum itself. If you care more about the actual art than the personal lives of rich New Yorkers, I would pass. Check out “Capital Culture” about the NGA for a better and more substantive museum history.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting if too gossipy book about very rich people involved in the MET. I enjoyed the book though perhaps he dwells too long on the sex life and affairs of long forgotten socialites. Through all of this he managaes to talk about the museum itself though if that is your main interest you might want to pick up another volume. I still would highly recommend it as a portal into the world of the rich if not so famous.

[madrano]

I love the NYC Metropolitan Museum and have probably visited 50 times, mostly in 2010, when i stayed in Queens for almost 6 months. As usual, i wanted to know more and this book is a good answer to many questions.

It begins with author Gross informing readers that the Met made clear they would not open their arms to him for research. They wanted control. As it happens, they appear to always request this and most authors agree.

However, i was really there for the history. Each section was characterized by the person Gross felt most exemplified a period of time/growth in the Met's development. The first was a quasi-archaeologist, who was likely quite the thief/conman, Luigi Parma di Cesnola. He was quickly followed by JP Morgan, JD Rockefeller, Robert Moses and lesser known names.

For my money, the first part of the book was well done. While there was some gossip included, it is history, in its fashion. The purchases, decisions made and items installed are fact. So, even though some sections were hearsay or could be doubted, overall, i felt a fair representation had been given.

The last half, this was less so. Enough of those involved in the last 75 years are either still alive or have children who are. Their stories seem less reliable, given the facts Gross shared. He could have eliminated much of those quotes, imo, giving readers a better idea of what occurred.

In the last chapter, with the most recent events, far too much was turned over to one woman, Jane Wrightsman, whose early life story had been included in the previous chapter. Over 40 pages were about her and gossip about her. Give me a break! To be fair, much of this was lead-in to her daughter's own story, as part of the Met.

Nonetheless, i liked reading about how the museum attained many of their outstanding pieces, the hows & whys of donations (such as jealousy, or resentment of another person/museum), and how the physical building developed. Having visited so many times, you think i would recognize many of the gallery names, but, in fact, i still have no memory of most of them.

[Patrick Wikstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I wished this book was about The Museum of Natural History, my favorite NY museum; I was intrigued enough to plod through the 480+ pages. Early chapters about the contributions and control of various sequentially active patrons explained the desire of socially climbing New York folks to show off their status by membership in, donations to, or more coveted roles such as trustee of the Met. J.P. Morgan, John D Rockefeller, Robert Moses and one or two of the museum Directors are given entire chapters to flesh out the changes in artistic direction, featured collections and installations or new constructions that ever so slowly moved the Met along. While there was some snobby resistance to the idea of encouraging participation by the masses, as a quasi-entity of the NY City Parks Dept there were periodic moves along those lines as the Met struggles with it’s sense of relevancy and diminished place in society in modern city life. If you love the Met you’ll like this book. 2½**

[Valeria · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways this is an invaluable primer to the names of the movers and shakers of modern New York. It definitely helped me understand so many of the names of families you see in the museum as well as around the city. It's a must-read for anyone interested in social climbing, the motives of the rich and wannabe famous, and the cultural patrimony of New York City. The museum is not even 150 years old yet it survives as symbol of what New York City wanted to be and what it ultimately become in the 20th century.

[Wyatt · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book ostensibly about the Metropolitan Museum of Art whose author seems to have little interest in or knowledge of art. This might seem odd except that the people the book is actually about - the high society clique orbiting the museum - don’t either.

Ultimately too long and ponderous for what really should be a fun, gossipy insider’s view of an elite institution’s many foibles. And the author’s attempt at disdain for this world is so transparently a desire to be a part of it that I found both him and the book somewhat insufferable.

[Dawna · Rating 1 out of 5]

A soul-sucking account of the Met’s history

Filthy rich, clueless egomaniacs using tax deductible donations to deposit (mostly) priceless art/artifacts/ funding in exchange for social recognition. Or perhaps to buy some semblance of a legacy after a miserly lifetime of accumulating wealth. This is a tediously researched accounting of the Met’s evolution, complete with a registry of Who’s Who in NYC , though Who really cares? The Met is a terrific museum, but you won’t get an inkling of that by reading this book.

[Peter Herrmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

5-stars for research and volume of details. 1-star because it gets boring very quickly (unless you are, perhaps, a museum curator or such). Not really the author's fault. So, on average 3-stars. The title implies a bit of drama or novelty interest ... but in fact it is just an extremely comprehensive elaboration of details ... who bought what acquisition, or sold, and when and why, and the feuds and issues between the board members, etc. Probably a Wikipedia article about the history of the Met would suffice for most readers.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have seen this book before and am interested in the provenance of items in museums and this looked interesting. It was clicking along at a 3 star rating - too many diversions about minor characters, obsession with how public The Met was at its inception and how much public funds went in to it. The sections on J. Pierpont Morgan and John D. Rockefeller Jr were very interesting. Then it nose-dived. The main problem is the author's on-going (at least at the time) feud with The Met because they could not cooperate with him. The last two chapters I skimmed.

[Vicky P · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is, generally speaking, an excellent source of information, and I did enjoy it; however, it suffered badly from needing a better editor. Additionally, the conclusion was tepid, and the last 30-40 pages were critical not only in a way that didn't make sense logically, but also in a way that didn't entirely convince me that the author or many of the people quoted (often still very much alive today) have ever enjoyed a museum.

[LizaBanks Campagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read about the Met and where the money that funds the art comes from. Intro is phenomenal in understanding why the Met is a black box and the lengths it goes to protect its reputation. Apparently Gross’s reputation was slandered for writing it. Essentially, this book is not being sold in the bookstore of the Met if you know what I mean. Certain parts drag and can be skipped but overall great non fiction read

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gossipy, yes but also thorough and penetrating in its disclosures and revelations. Too many characters to keep straight, but the progression through staff, trustees and donors leads to incredible wealth, great art and expectations perhaps from another era. I wish I'd known more when I was there.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really interesting but I had a hard time getting through it. Maybe it’s just strange to read about billionaires fighting for prestige in the NYC art scene. So yeah, I guess I couldn’t relate!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but quite tedious. I learned a lot, but can't say I really enjoyed the book.

[Raquel]

Like

[Michele Statile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow reading. Really boring at some points. Definitely not the story that the title portrays.

[Austin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to get into!

[Polly Vous Francais · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping!

[Daeny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives podcast/Netflix documentary vibes. For a book I dug out of a donations bin the week before I graduated, a good time. Airport read vibes.

[Jason Speck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been someone who's wanted to know how the powerful make decisions--what motivates them, what they care about, who's really running the show. I especially want to know when the powerful people in question, who purport to operate a major institution for the benefit of the public, are very, very reluctant to let the truth be known. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a grand palace, but its history is more that of a dirty saloon. You want people behaving badly? Check. Behaving illegally? Check. Turning art into a four letter word? Check. This is the true story of how some of our grandest institutions and most beautiful works of art are wrapped in shady deals, incredible egos, unalloyed avarice, and the desire for the rich and famous to live forever on the walls of the Met.

There are a lot of people who rated this book lower because of the sheer volume of names involved, and that's a fair criticism. Gross could have done more to provide guides to the major players involved in the creation and operation of one of the finest museums in the world. But if you persist you are in for a hell of a tale, a fascinating, amusing and often disgusting look at the wealthy and powerful personages who have made the Metropolitan Museum their goal, fiefdom, or plaything. It's also a look into the oft-sordid history of buying art and the birth of American museums.

I once read that when you took into account the sheer number of people who get their fingers into the making of a movie, it's a wonder how we end up with any good movies at all. The same might be said of The Met: when you factor in the egos, money, power and ultimately selfish reasons for collecting art, it's amazing that such a grand edifice to human expression exists for the 'great unwashed' (who, it should be noted, were not really given access to the museum for the first twenty years because The Met's leaders refused to open the museum on Sundays).

If you love museums, or Art, don't miss this book. There's a reason that wing of your favorite museum is named for someone you've never heard of, or a particular painting was donated by another person whose name sounds vaguely familiar. You owe it to yourself to know the Who and the Why behind the What that's before you. It's probably the exact opposite of the beauty you've come to see.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! The history of the Met is like a microcosm of New York history. So much stuff I never knew.

After this, I totally want to read up on J.P. Morgan and the Rockefellers. The stuff we hear about them now is such a caricature, I want the whole picture. I think their lives and works ought to be required reading, both as a warning about what not to do and for the positive works we can learn from, as well. I was struck by the fact that J.P. Morgan inherited a bunch of money and instead of lying around and spending it in a rock star life, he worked to build it. (Ok, yes, let's practice business ethics, but I think we could totally learn from his work ethic.)

Something else that struck me about the men who started and supported the Met for all those years in the beginning is that no one "retired." Generations of trustees came to the office and all their museum meetings - to keep it going, to get funding, to plan and build new facilities - until they died at 70 and 80. They were rich, they had money, and they kept working.

There were also truly fascinating stories about the acquisition of the art and some of the controversy surrounding it. Very interesting discussion of private property and public domain. If a farmer in Italy sells an artifact that he found on his private property, does it still belong to Italy? How old does it have to be before it is no longer the farmer's private property to sell?

But yes, a good book. It was well paced and a well woven story. I'd recommend it for people who like New York or art, or are just interested in how a big institution runs and keeps running for 140 years.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly detailed account of the source and circumstances surrounding what must be almost every large donation ever made to the Met. It gets repetitive in parts, hashing out the details of courting the moneyed, contesting wills, willfully ignoring or working against obtaining anything "modern," and obtaining grey- or black-market antiquities, then dealing with the fallout of all of the above.

I can understand the low ratings of other readers but I found it incredibly successful as a straight piece of reference, bookended by a detailed account of the author's ongoing battle with a bureaucracy determined to thwart him and his virtuous exposé journalism (by his account). I guess there are some ugly bits, especially regarding antiquities without provenance, money-grabbing tactics, and in-fighting among curators, directors, and trustees, but I really didn't come across anything SO HORRIBLE as to explain the museum's apparent stonewalling of the author. Maybe that's the point, that whatever they're covering up is worse, but honestly, what kind of bureaucratic nonsense deserves that much protection? Everyone involved is human with all the associated foibles and failings expected, just blown up on a grand scale.

Anyway, it can get a bit eye-glazing at points with its belabored attention to detail and worshipful tone of the museum's place in the city and the world, but I still found it a useful and necessary reference of a venerable institution.

[Randy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this well-researched book an interesting look into the history and workings of the Metropolitan Museum, so I'm grateful I read this book and therefore learned a lot about the world of art and art museums.

And yet I'm disappointed with ROGUE'S GALLERY. Here's why: So many characters come and go I couldn't bond with any of them. I suspect this wasn't just because of the number of characters but because the characters are, for the most part, depicted unfavorably; so I got the strong feeling that Mr. Gross is biased against the wealthy and wrote his book with a clear agenda.

I'm sure many of the people who helped make the Metropolitan Museum what it is today were decent people with a strong love of art, some of whom donated their collections so the public - the non-rich - could enjoy them. I would have liked to have met those generous people. If I had this book would be a fairer, more-accurate history, and therefore a better one.

[Dkeslin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to learn all about the politics and schemes put together in the formation and running of one of the world's greatest museums, this is the book for you. It discusses all of the wealthy patrons who amassed fabulous art collections which they donated to the museum as well as discussion of all of the directors through the years and their methods of running the institution. A lot of graft and corruption went in to creating this, seemingly flawless, collection. The Met is one of my favorite museums and after having studied art history for 15 years, it still remains a thrill to enter it and climb up that grand staircase. Those who contributed created one of the art wonders of the world, as far as I am concerned-----no matter how they did it!!!