Metropolitan Museum of Art Breaks Ground on $670 M. Tang Wing for Modern and Contemporary Art

On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York broke ground on its new modern and contemporary art wing, named for emeritus trustee Oscar L. Tang and his wife H. M. Agnes Hsu-Tang.

The project had been in the works since 2014, but plans accelerated in 2021 when Tang and Hsu-Tang, two of the world‘s top collectors, gifted the museum $125 million toward renovating the its modern art wing. At the time, it was the largest capital gift the museum had ever received.

In 2022, the Met announced Mexico City–based architect Frida Escobedo as the project designer, and in 2025 revealed the long-awaited designs for new wing, scheduled to open in 2030.

The groundbreaking event was attended by Tang and Hsu-Tang and the Met’s modern and contemporary art curator David Breslin, director and CEO Max Hollein, and head of capital projects Brett Gallard. Several politicians were also present, including New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Council Member Virginia Maloney, Council Member Gale Brewer, as well as New York State Assemblymember Keith Powers and State Senator Jose Serrano.

“Working with Frida Escobedo on her visionary design has been an enormous privilege, and together with our trustees and donors we are excited to celebrate this important milestone as we begin the work that will turn that vision into a reality,” said Hollein.

The Met has so far raised $670 million, which will cover construction costs along with a “significant portion” of the wing’s operating costs, according to a statement from the museum. The 126,000-square-foot wing includes almost 70,000 square feet of exhibition space spread out over five levels, the top two of which will be recessed in order to provide outdoor terrace space. There will also be a café on the wing’s top floor.

The galleries will have ceiling heights that range from 11 to 22 feet so that both large-scaled installations and smaller two-dimensional works can be accommodated. The Met’s popular rooftop garden, previously located on the 5th floor, closed last October in anticipation of this project; it is moving to the new wing’s fourth-floor terrace, where it will reopen with several thousand additional square feet of space in 2030.

“The design for the Tang Wing weaves together the many architectural styles that make up The Met’s campus, honoring each building’s own history while creating a space that is distinctly of our time,” said Escobedo.