The New Face of the MoMA

The expansion of New York’s Museum of Modern Art reinvents the museum experience

New York’s MoMA is getting ready for a renovation. The institution, which is a symbol of New York, will close this 16 June and remain closed for the entire summer, reopening on 21 October 2019 with a new look conceived by two architects that are transforming Manhattan: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, in collaboration with Gensler.

MoMa, New York ©Iwan Bann
MoMa, New York ©Iwan Bann

With a vision that redefines the very idea of museum exhibition, New York’s Museum of Modern Art will reopen on 21 October with over 4000 additional square meters, including spaces and galleries dedicated to live performances and laboratories for exploring the past, present, and future from an all-new perspective.
In an open dialogue with the city and interacting closely with New Yorkers, the areas at street level will be free spaces dedicated to experimentation and discovery: a return to its roots, explains Glenn D. Lowry, The David Rockefeller Director of The Museum of Modern Art.

MoMa, New York ©Iwan Bann
MoMa, New York ©Iwan Bann

“The new museum is inspired by the original vision of Alfred Barr, who conceived of the MoMA as an experimental space. The expansion is not only connected to the idea of creating more space, but also to the concept of redefining the space itself in order to rethink the entire art experience.”

MoMa, New York ©Iwan Bann
MoMa, New York ©Iwan Bann

An expansion that develops through innovative and interdisciplinary exhibits. “We have the opportunity to reenergize and expand our mission,” continues Lowry, “or rather to invite everyone to experience the MoMA as a laboratory for the study and mise en scène of the art of our time through various kinds of creative expression.” The collections will highlight the kinship between painting, sculpture, architecture, design, photography, media, performance, film, and works on paper, under the guidance of a new generation of curators who will continuously renew the museum experience with installations, exhibits, commissioned works, and a rich calender of debates.

MoMa, New York ©Iwan Bann
MoMa, New York ©Iwan Bann

The galleries on the second, fourth, and fifth floors, including the new David Geffen wing, will give visitors the opportunity to further explore the universe of artists from various geographical areas in a chronological fil rouge that unravels through the three levels and focuses on the complex relationships between various artistic mediums. Another new concept will be the rotation, every six to nine months, of the works in the collection, creating a multitude of conceptual experiences.

MoMa, New York ©DSR
MoMa, New York ©DSR

MoMA-Museum of Modern Art
11 W 53rd St – New York
Closing: 16 June 2019
Re-opening: 21 October 2019
Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler
www.moma.org