New Museum to Reopen March 21 After 60,000-Square-Foot Expansion

The New Museum on Manhattan’s Lower East Side will reopen to visitors on March 21 after more than three years of construction, unveiling a 60,000-square-foot expansion that doubles its gallery space and connects the museum’s two buildings. Officials said the museum will offer free admission that weekend.

The expansion, designed by a team including OMA, Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas, adds room for artist residencies, community programming and a full-service restaurant to be led by chef Julia Sherman. Museum director Lisa Phillips said, "There is no winding down at this moment; we are really winding up," and the total cost will be $82 million once all is finished.

Massimiliano Gioni, the museum’s artistic director, said the reopening will feature a single exhibition, "New Humans: Memories of the Future," surveying historical and contemporary works that probe technological change; he called the show "incredibly dense" and described museums as responding to an experience of visual density.

The exhibition includes 20th-century masters such as Salvador Dalí and Francis Bacon alongside recent works by artists including Precious Okoyomon, Pierre Huyghe and airborne pieces by Anicka Yi, and will display artifacts such as prototypes of Steven Spielberg’s E.T. and the monster from the "Alien" movies.

Key Topics

Culture, New Museum, Lower East Side, Oma, Rem Koolhaas, Shohei Shigematsu