The Metropolitan Museum of Art is widely considered one of America’s most important cultural institutions, with an unrivaled collection of 1.5 million works of art spanning 5,000 years of human history. Since its founding, the museum has been a bastion of encyclopedic art, but its formal dedication to contemporary art in 1967 under the leadership of Henry Geldzahler added to its legacy. The Department of Contemporary Art initially focused on American painting and sculpture, expanding in the 1970s to include European art, decorative arts, and design. In recent years, and especially since 2012, the Met has made significant progress in diversifying its collections, prioritizing works by women and artists of color, with a focus on Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, and the African diaspora .
Now, the institution’s growing trove of modern and contemporary art will find a home in the Oscar L. Tang and HM Agnes Hsu-Tang Wings, a project that will redefine the Met’s identity when it is completed in 2030. Frida-designed architect Escobedo said the wing’s construction would mark a historic milestone, becoming the first building designed by a woman in the museum’s 154-year history. Selected for the project in 2022, Escobedo’s design deftly bridges past and present, seamlessly integrating with the museum’s eclectic architectural heritage while introducing a dynamic contemporary feel. The new wing promises to transform the museum experience, adding more than 70,000 square feet of modern and contemporary art gallery space, an increase of nearly 50 percent. In addition to its sheer scale, the Tang Wing will address key issues of accessibility, sustainability and infrastructure, bringing the museum’s functionality into the 21st century.
Escobedo described her vision as fluidly interweaving the modern and contemporary art galleries with the museum’s broader collection, enhancing their dialogue and the new wing’s identity as a New York City landmark. “The Wing is located in New York but belongs to the world; it reflects the global nature of this great collection and draws inspiration from the unique environment of the Met,” she explained in a statement.
The design of the Met’s new wing was inspired by Kevin Roche’s visionary 1971 master plan and is a three-storey structure with a recessed fourth floor and an additional setback on the fifth floor. Echoing Roche’s rhythm of solid and void, originally expressed through the interplay of glass and limestone in the seven buildings he designed for the museum, Escobedo’s exterior will be contemporary Reinterpret these elements. The façade is made of “celosía” limestone with a unique mineral texture and stone latticework that creates a translucent surface that dances with sunlight throughout the day. This dynamic interplay of light and shadow not only connects the design to Roche’s architectural heritage, but also pays homage to a universal architectural language that transcends cultures and centuries. Floor-to-ceiling glass elements further complement the limestone latticework and harmonize with the iconic features of the museum’s existing buildings, including the Beaux Arts Fifth Avenue façade designed by Richard Morris Hunt and McKim, Mead & White .
Inside, Escobedo envisioned a rhythmic and fluid space with ceiling heights ranging from 11 to 22 feet, providing unparalleled flexibility for curatorial experimentation. Different heights accommodate large installations while also creating private areas of quiet reflection. A fifth-floor café will provide visitors with a place to rest and recharge, while large south-facing windows on the fourth and fifth floors will present iconic views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline year-round, blending artistic experiences with the environment.
Accessibility and sustainability are at the heart of this project. Adding a second elevator core, ramps and multiple entry points will greatly improve the building’s functionality for all visitors. At the same time, the strategic placement of windows will optimize the use of natural light and reduce energy consumption, while still protecting the artwork from harmful sunlight. These measures, combined with energy-saving systems, highlight the museum’s commitment to environmental responsibility.
The redesign also extends beyond the building itself, with plans to enhance the surrounding outdoor spaces to meet Central Park’s impeccable standards. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in partnership with the Central Park Conservancy (CPC) and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks), will integrate the museum’s green spaces into the broader park landscape, enhancing the visitor experience both inside and out.
Max Hollein, director and CEO of the Met, spoke to the press about the project’s importance in bringing contemporary art to the forefront of the institution’s mission. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a responsibility to present the art of our time to New York City and the world in extremely compelling, scholarly, and innovative ways that illuminate the rich — and sometimes surprising — richness of our collections. — contact,” he said. “Escobedo’s elegant, contemporary design reflects not only an understanding of the building’s history, materiality, and artistic expression, but also a deep appreciation for the Met’s mission, collections, and visitors.”
The History of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Contemporary and Modern Collections
Since 1987, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of 20th and 21st century art has been housed in the Lila Acheson Wallace Wing. However, as the collection grew and the museum’s ambitions expanded, it became clear that additional space was needed to properly represent the art of our time. For a short period of time, the Met responded to this need by staging an ambitious series of exhibitions using the Breuer Met, a landmark modernist building on Madison Avenue. The program launched in 2016 with two landmark opening exhibitions: “Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible,” a cross-departmental exploration of the “nonfinito” style, featuring works from Titian to Louise There are works by artists such as Bourgeois and the largest ever exhibition of Indian modernist Nasreen Mohammad. However, financial problems and the global upheaval of Covid-19 forced the Met to permanently close its contemporary art-focused operations at the Met Breuer in July 2020 and lease the building to the Frick Collection, which The Rick Collection temporarily used the space for renovations while it was at its Fifth Avenue gallery.
The need to improve the Met’s modern and contemporary galleries has long been a priority. In 2014, the museum announced a $600 million effort to redevelop its wing dedicated to the collection, but the project was shelved due to financial constraints. At the time, then-Director Thomas P. Campbell emphasized the importance of the effort, calling it “the urgent project we pursue first,” noting that the museum was “translating these long-term projects into projects consistent with Responsible master planning of our capabilities” and our ambitions. “
The project gained new impetus in 2021 when the Metropolitan Museum of Art received a record-breaking $125 million donation from longtime trustee Oscar L. Tang and his wife Agnes Hsu-Tang, an archaeologist and art historian home), with the new wing named after her. By May 2024, the museum announced that it had achieved its $550 million fundraising goal through private donations, finally securing the resources needed to launch its long-awaited expansion. The action is expected to create 4,000 union jobs, 30-40% of which will be in minority- and women-owned business enterprises, an important step forward not only for the museum but for the broader community .
