Shelby White and the Search Committee

Kate Taylor ("Met Trustee Cedes 10 Objects to Italy", The New York Sun, January 18, 2008) has commented on the return of antiquities to Italy by Shelby White.

Taylor reports:

Ms. White and her late husband, Leon Levy, gave $20 million toward the construction of the new Greek and Roman galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ms. White is a trustee of the museum and is on the search committee for a new director.

Can White retain a position on the search committee for the successor to Philippe de Montebello given her record over these antiquities? Or has she returned the ten pieces now so that she can resist the obligation to resign?

De Montebello himself has heralded a new era of "scrupulous acquisition policies". Can White remain if the Met wishes to be seen to be acting with integrity?