She said he had not seen the five judges who are museum trustees in the last six months.

For another, Mr. Rose is a museum trustee, chairman of the project committee.

But it was such a success that the museum trustees decided to keep it open.

Ms. Kramer said museum trustees had pledged $13 million toward the plan, which would cost an estimated $26 million.

Personal contacts are the essence of the experience, according to Jason Wright, a museum trustee who goes every year.

She had been a museum trustee since 1994, previously serving as an executive vice-president before being elected president.

Ms. Wattis, a museum trustee, has helped the board buy countless artworks.

But Roosevelt's story does not end at his estate's boundary, museum trustees say.

The museum trustees purchased it for £20,000 in the 1980s.

At a private viewing before the exhibition opened, museum trustees were appalled by the "immorality" of the work.