Art dealers to honour museum head

Philippe de Montebello will receive the Cinoa Prize in New York

Art and antique dealers will honour Philippe de Montebello, director of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, for his lifetime contribution to the arts.

The Confederation Internationale des Negociants en Oevures d'Art (Cinoa) will honour him in New York on 10 May.

Montebello demonstrated "unwavering dedication to the development of an institution's permanent collection, exhibitions and publications," it said.

Last year he created an extra 57,000 square feet of galleries at the museum.

Cinoa consists of 31 trade associations of art and antique dealers with more than 5,000 members in 21 countries.

US spokesman Gerald Stiebel said Montebello will receive the Cinoa Prize following his commitment to "areas of art which may not be easy winners of public acclaim, but will advance public awareness and appreciation of aesthetic quality".