Mr Met

A nice long interview with Met Museum director Thomas Campbell by Charlotte Higgins for the Guardian:

Campbell is clear that while each system has its "swings and roundabouts", there is no chance of

Britain's arts institutions being able to adopt a US-style philanthropic model of funding, as culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has stated he would like them to do. "The American model comes out of a long tradition," he says, "and critically, is supported by the tax system: as a donor you can claim a large percentage of your gift, dollar for dollar, back against tax." (In the UK system, the donor receives less of a tax benefit.) He adds: "It would be deeply naive to assume you could simply transfer the American model to Europe."