The Tamesis
New York’s New Museum announced on Tuesday that it will reopen on March 21 after being closed for two years. The facility was scheduled to reopen last fall.
The new museum is closed from March 2024 as part of an expansion on the site next door that will add 60,000 square feet to its existing SANAA-designed building. Designed by OMA / Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas, the expansion will total nearly 120,000 square feet.
Of the additional 60,000 square feet, 9,600 square feet will be dedicated to exhibition space, nearly doubling the museum’s existing gallery space. Additionally, 3,850 square feet will be dedicated to the museum’s incubator, New Inc, while 3,210 square feet will be used for artist studios and education and special event space.
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OMA’s design for the new museum also includes an entrance plaza, a new 74-seat forum, an expanded Sky Room on the seventh floor, and the addition of three elevators to aid circulation within the building.
Several of the spaces will also include new artist commissions: Tschabalala Self will create a piece for the facade; Klára Hosnedlová will design a new atrium staircase; and Sarah Lucas will be responsible for the public plaza.
The expansion will also include a bookstore that will be twice the size of the previous version, and a new restaurant run by Henry Rich of the Oberon Group, with Julia Sherman serving as executive chef. The as-yet-unnamed restaurant will serve a vegetable-focused menu and include furniture commissioned by Ian Cheng and designed by designer Minjae Kim.
Lisa Phillips, the museum’s director since 1999 who will retire in April, said in a statement: “Since its founding nearly 50 years ago, the New Museum has been home to today’s most groundbreaking art and a haven for artists. Our new 120,000-square-foot building on the Bowery signals a redoubled commitment to new art and new ideas, and to the museum as an evolving place for risk-taking, collaboration, and experimentation.”
As part of its reopening weekend, the New Museum will offer free admission on Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22. The funding was provided by trustee Charlotte von Furt, who previously served at art newsTop 200 Collectors List. Registration for these tickets will open next month.
The museum also announced an increase in admission prices. Tickets will increase from $22 to $25 for adults, $19 to $22 for seniors and visitors with disabilities, and $16 to $19 for students. Admission will continue to be free for visitors 18 and under and SNAP/EBT benefit recipients.
When it reopens in March, the entire new museum will be dedicated to an exhibition titled “New Humanity: Memories of the Future,” which will feature the work of more than 200 artists and thinkers. The themed exhibition will “explore how dramatic technological and social changes have inspired new concepts of ‘humanity,'” according to a press release.
Notably, it includes Francis Bacon, Salvador Dali, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Kiki Kogelnik, Hannah Hoch and Elsa von Freytag-Loringhofen, among others 20 Works by century artists are paired with works by contemporary artists such as Merym Bennani, Cyprian Gaillard, Pierre Huyghe, Tau Lewis, Wangechi Mutu, Precious Okoyomon, Berenice Olmedo, Philippe Parreno, Hito Steyerl, Jamian Giuliano-Villani and Anika Yi.
