New Museum expansion opens
New York’s New Museum reopened after an $82 million OMA expansion that doubles the institution’s gallery space and adds a striking new wing beside the Bowery landmark. (timeout.com) The extension launches with “new humans,” an ambitious exhibition curated by Massimiliano Gioni that reframes contemporary art, tech, and identity for visitors. (dezeen.com)
The expanded New Museum opens to the public on March 21, 2026, and will offer free admission for its opening weekend on March 21–22, 2026. (newmuseum.org) OMA’s addition creates roughly 60,000 square feet across seven stories, including three dedicated gallery floors, artist-residency studios, and a purpose-built headquarters for the cultural incubator NEW INC. (oma.com) The new building has been named for longtime trustee Toby Devan Lewis following his $30 million gift—the largest in the museum’s history—and the capital campaign has reported approximately $118 million raised toward a $125 million goal. (newmuseum.org) The inaugural exhibition New Humans: Memories of the Future spans the expanded museum and includes work by more than 150 artists, with site-specific commissions by Tschabalala Self, Klára Hosnedlová, and Sarah Lucas among others. (newmuseum.org) The reopening debuts the New Museum’s first full-service restaurant, operated by Henry Rich of the Oberon Group with executive chef Julia Sherman and a vegetable-forward, sustainability-minded menu, alongside a significantly enlarged bookstore. (newmuseum.org) New public and program spaces added in the build include an atrium stair, three new elevators to improve circulation, a 74-seat Forum, and an expanded Sky Room for events and commissions. (newmuseum.org) The OMA team on the project was led by Shohei Shigematsu with Rem Koolhaas, in collaboration with executive architect Cooper Robertson, producing a distinct new counterpoint to the original SANAA building and marking OMA’s first public building in New York. (newmuseum.org)
