His philosophy was that by showing the public well-designed, everyday objects – chairs, tables, curtains – "good taste" could be taught.
His acquisitions as a curator were considered “remarkably fine.” [6] Breck wrote more than two hundred articles covering the fields of Renaissance art and sculpture, design of objects, and display and installation techniques.
In the summer of 1933, while on a buying trip for the Museum, Joseph Breck died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 48.
Considered by some to be a disciplinarian and rather tactless in his manner, Joseph Breck was by-passed by the Museum's Board of Trustees for the position of Director of the Metropolitan when it became vacant in 1931.
Museum President William Sloane Coffin wrote that Joseph Breck’s influence and taste was felt in all parts of the Museum: “The Morgan Wing, the galleries on the second floor of Wings K and J, the galleries of medieval and Renaissance decorative arts, The Cloisters, and more recently the new hall of medieval tapestries are a standing testimony to his taste and knowledge in installation and arrangement.” [7]