New Galleries to be Added to the Met

The Times announces that the Metropolitan Museum will announce today a plan to expand its galleries of classic art:

"This is the grand orchestral coda to the reinstallation of our Classical galleries," [musuem director Philippe] de Montebello said late last week. He said he has spent years studying historic buildings — from Roman villas to the Colosseum — to come up with the most appropriate architecture for the new Roman Court. Mr. de Montebello also assessed every nook and cranny, from air shafts to stairwells, to determine how best to use the museum's space to keep pace with its vast and growing collections.

Gothamist knows the real reason the $155 million project was initiated: So Philippe could have his own mini Met he can lord over and rule. Honestly, we did a triple take when we saw that great photograph of de Montebello and the model. There's a mini-de-Montebello somewhere. Or maybe he has "Docent Barbie" somewhere.

You can also check out the exhibit of Egyptian art at the Brooklyn Museum, but Gothamist is eagerly waiting the retrospective of fashion designer Patrick Kelly (who was profiled in the Times' Fashion supplement by hintmag's Horacio Silva) in April.