Nita Ambani named first Indian trustee of New York Metropolitan Museum of Art in its almost 150-year history

Philanthropist Nita Ambani has been named to the board of the United State’s largest art museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has been elected as an honorary trustee of the museum, and is the first Indian on the Met’s board in its almost 150-year history. [caption id=“attachment_7644741” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of the Reliance Foundation joined by Metropolitan Museum of Art leadership - Daniel Brodsky, Chairman of the Board; Daniel Weiss, President and CEO; and Max Hollein, Director, on the occasion of her election to the Board of Trustees. She is the first Indian Trustee in the Museum’s nearly 150 year history.[/caption] The news was announced earlier today by the Met Chairman Daniel Brodsky. He said: “Mrs Ambani’s commitment to The Met and to preserving and promoting India’s art and culture is truly exceptional. Her support has an enormous impact on the Museum’s ability to study and display art from every corner of the world. It is a pleasure to welcome Nita Ambani to the Board.” At the event, Ambani commented that she finds the cause of supporting the museum a deeply rewarding endeavour. “It has been been deeply rewarding to support the museum in its desire to expand and enhance its programme of exhibiting the arts of India,” she said, and added: “I have been moved and impressed by the Met’s keen interest, which enables our commitment to seeing Indian art and culture represented on the global platform. This great distinction inspires me to redouble my efforts on behalf of India’s heritage, from the ancient to the contemporary.” Nita Ambani is the founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, which has a keen focus on encouraging Indian art and culture, education and healthcare. The Foundation has been supporting the Met since 2016. Ambani is also a member of the Met’s International Council. The museum also recently announced the theme for next year’s Met Gala, which takes place on 4 May each year. The 2020 theme is set to be ‘About Time: Fashion and Duration’.