New Museum Will Reopen Its Doors This Spring

Welcoming the public into its 60,000-square-foot, OMA-designed extension.

Summary

• The New Museum in New York will reopen on on March 21, marking the end of a nearly two-year overhaul
• The extension, designed by OMA, doubles the original museum’s SANAA-designed, Bowery space with expanded exhibition spaces, a restaurant, artist studios and flexible venues

After a decade of planning, a two-year overhaul and an $82 million USD expansion, the New Museum in New York has announced that it will reopen to the public on March 21.

The 60,000-square-foot, OMA-designed project nearly doubles the museum’s existing footprint, designed by SANAA. Helmed by Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas, it will introduce flexible venues for public programming; a dedicated space to New Inc., the institution’s cultural incubator; and studios for artists-in-residence.

Most notably, the expansion premieres 9,600 square feet of additional exhibition space, which will take part in New Humans: Memories of the Future, the inaugural, 200-artist exhibition, spanning the entirety of the museum.

Other features to look forward to include an entrance plaza, new elevators and an Atrium Stair for ease of flow, each graced with a new commission by artists Tschabalala Self, Klára Hosnedlová and Sarah Lucas. Falling in line with the chain of arty restaurants popping up around the city, the museum will debut a full-scale restaurant, headed by the Oberon Group and chef Julia Sherman.

“Since our founding nearly 50 years ago, the New Museum has been a home for the most groundbreaking art of today and a haven for the artists who make it,” said outgoing director Lisa Phillips. “Our [new] building on the Bowery signals our redoubled commitment to new art and new ideas, and to the museum as an ever-evolving site for risk-taking, collaboration and experimentation.”

The New Museum will offer free admission during its opening weekend (March 21 and 22). For more information, head to the museum’s website.