he told me about pia 's father , william darcy- a man whose name is synonymous with virtually anything to do with the art world ( how i had failed to make the connection between he and pia was a mystery even to me ) - and who had an illustrious career as the art curator in two of the most prestigious art museums on the face of the earth : the british museum in his birth place of london , as well as the metropolitan museum of art in new york city .