Michael Govan's previous Snootometer rating.Photos: WireImage (Govan); Getty Images
(Goodman); sbqsam.com (maître d')

Is there really no such thing as bad publicity? Michael Govan's about to find out! The director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was tipped just weeks ago by the Times as a dark-horse candidate to succeed Philippe de Montebello as director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Now he's in the Times again, as his museum was one of four in Southern California raided Thursday by federal agents in a continuing investigation into stolen and misappropriated antiquities.

How badly will Govan's press conference, in which he was forced to defend his institution, hurt his chances to land the biggest job in the museum world? (After all, while many museums, including the Met, have faced scrutiny over the provenance of the antiquities in their collections, it's pretty rare to have the Feds rush in, guns a-metaphorically-blazin'.) There's only one way to know for sure: Recalibrate the Snootometer™!

Previously, Govan scored a meager 5.3 on the Snootometer. At first we thought this controversy might harm his rating. But the Snootometer thought differently! It turns out this scandal just makes Govan seem more like a ritzy, European art thief. The impressive new photo in the Times helps too! His Snootometer rating is officially upped to a 6.5 — better, but not good enough. He's still in fourth place among the candidates. If he really wants the job, we suggest he start smoking pipes and wearing a monocle.

Four California Museums Are Raided [NYT]

Earlier: Who's Snooty Enough to Replace Philippe de Montebello?