Statesman, theorist, and philosopher: The work of Edmund Burke (1729-1797) is as pertinent today as it has ever been. While celebrating our thirty-fourth season, The New Criterion honored the distinguished writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali with the fourth annual Edmund Burke Award for Service to Culture and Society. For our thirty-fifth season, we were delighted to honor Philippe de Montebello with the fifth iteration of the award on April 26, 2017, as we celebrated his work at a gala dinner at The Metropolitan Club in New York City.
The New Criterion’s Edmund Burke Award for Service to Culture & Society honors individuals who have made conspicuous contributions to the defense of civilization. During his more than thirty years as Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Philippe de Montebello worked tirelessly to preserve the very best of our cultural patrimony. His deep understanding of and respect for the grand Western humanist tradition helped to secure the Met’s standing as a beacon of civilization and to ensure that generations present and future will be able to appreciate our common artistic heritage. We are delighted, in our anniversary year, to have honored him with the fifth Edmund Burke Award for Service to Culture and Society.