New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has chosen Thomas P. Campbell, one of the institution’s curators, to replace Philippe de Montebello as museum director.

The museum’s board voted on Tuesday to appoint as new director 46-year-old Campbell, a curator specializing in European Tapestries and Decorative Arts who has been working with the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1995. The Englishman will fill de Montebello’s seat on January 1.

Philippe de Montebello, the museum’s director since 1977, announced that 2008 is his last year as director of the Met in January.

"The time is right for both my own - and the museum's - inevitable transition," said Montebello, who described his successor as "absolutely the right selection".

In a statement released after the board approved his nomination, Campbell said that his main objective as the institution’s director will be to "build on the Met's traditions of scholarship and openness, to ensure that our diverse audiences continue to be welcomed, challenged and inspired in ways that are fresh and relevant for the age in which we live."

A Cambridge, England-native, Campbell currently lives in Westchester County, N.Y., with his wife and two children. His accomplishments so far include a bachelor's degree in English literature from Oxford University and a master's and doctorate from London's Courtauld Institute.

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest art museum in the U.S. It houses more than 2 million items extended over a period of 5,000 years. In fiscal year 2005-2006, the Met had a budget of $280.3 million.