The Exhibitionist

The renowned curator gives a personal tour of his journey from archeology to the Met, the Jewish Museum, and helping found the Israel Museum. In The Exhibitionist, museum director Karl Katz discusses his tireless, impassioned work spanning six decades and numerous countries. As a young man, Karl traveled to the newly-formed state of Israel to pursue archaeology, only to be thrust into the role of directing the Bezalel National Art Museum in Jerusalem. From that early trial by fire to his many leadership roles at the Museum of Tolerance, the International Center of Photography, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and elsewhere, Katz found innovative ways to make museums inviting, educational, living, and vibrant. A book for lovers of history and art criticism, as well as collectors, curators, administrators, and students, The Exhibitionist is filled with a wide range of discussions both cultural and personal. Katz discusses the exhibits, the discoveries, and the incredible people he worked with along the way, from his mentor Teddy Kollek, the mayor of Jerusalem and founder of the Israel Museum, to Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis and Broadway showman Billy Rose.