Francis Henry Taylor (1903–1957) was a distinguished American museum director and curator, heading the Metropolitan Museum of Art for fifteen years.
He was born in Philadelphia, and started his career as a curator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In 1931 he became director of the Worcester Art Museum Massachusetts, before joining the Metropolitan Museum in New York City as its director in 1940.
Sometimes described as a showman, he developed a theory of the museum as an institution of active public service, not simply a repository of art. He was credited with doubling the number of people visiting the museum, up to 2.3 million a year.[1]
His writings include:
| Cultural offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Herbert Winlock |
Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 1940–1955 |
Succeeded by James Rorimer |