Met Museum to merge Neue Galerie

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie New York said on May 14 that they plan to merge in 2028, in a deal that would move one of the strongest collections of Austrian and German modern art outside Europe under the Met’s ownership. The museums said the agreement would also bring the Neue Galerie’s building at 1048 Fifth Avenue into the Met. The institutions said the museum experience at the Neue Galerie would be preserved after the merger. Ronald S. Lauder and his daughter, Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, also said they plan to donate 13 additional works from their personal collections as part of the arrangement. ### What exactly is being merged in 2028? The Met said the planned 2028 agreement would merge the Neue Galerie with the larger museum and place the Neue Galerie’s collection and historic building under Met ownership. The Met described the collection as the most significant group of 20th-century Austrian and German art outside Europe. The Neue Galerie said it will continue to operate independently until the merger is completed. (metmuseum.org) Renée Price, the museum’s founding director, said in a message posted on the museum’s website that the institution is “pursuing a landmark agreement” with the Met and that its focus remains on the future of the museum as it approaches its 25th anniversary. ### Which art and which donors are part of the deal? (metmuseum.org) The Met said the Neue Galerie collection includes works by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Max Beckmann, Gabriele Münter and Josef Hoffmann. The press release singled out Klimt’s “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” among the best-known works in the collection. Ronald S. (neuegalerie.org) Lauder and Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer said they plan to donate 13 Austrian and German paintings from their personal collection to the combined institution. The Met said gifts to be made by Lauder at closing include Klimt’s “Die Tänzerin (The Dancer),” Kirchner’s “Die Russische Tänzerin Mela (The Russian Dancer Mela)” and Beckmann’s “Galleria Umberto,” while future promised gifts include Klimt’s “The Black Feather Hat” and works by Otto Dix, George Grosz and Franz Marc. (metmuseum.org) ### What happens to the Fifth Avenue building? The Neue Galerie said the merger would bring its historic home at 1048 Fifth Avenue under the Met in 2028, after approvals. The building was completed in 1914 by Carrère & Hastings and is designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Commission, according to the museum. The Art Newspaper reported that the six-story William Starr Miller House at Fifth Avenue and 86th Street will become the Met Ronald S. (metmuseum.org) Lauder Neue Galerie and continue to house the collection, programming and Café Sabarsky. That naming detail was not included in the Met press release. ### Why is this happening now? May 14 was the date both institutions tied the announcement to the Neue Galerie’s 25th anniversary, which the museum says it will mark in autumn 2026. (neuegalerie.org) The Met said the timing reflects Ronald Lauder’s long-held plan for the museum and a shared commitment to keep the collection accessible in perpetuity. Ronald Lauder wrote in a public letter that “the merger with the Met in 2028 will preserve and strengthen the Neue Galerie’s legacy in perpetuity.” The Art Newspaper reported that Lauder also praised Met director and chief executive Max Hollein, saying he was confident Hollein and the Met could steward the collection into the future. (theartnewspaper.com) ### What changes before the merger closes? (metmuseum.org) May 27, 2026 is the date the Neue Galerie says it will close temporarily for the next phase of a multi-stage construction project. The museum said the closure covers the galleries, shops and Café Sabarsky, and that it plans to reopen in autumn 2026. The Met said Lauder and Lauder Zinterhofer also plan to provide a substantial endowment gift for the Neue Galerie’s long-term care and preservation, along with additional funds tied to integrating the collection and building operations. (theartnewspaper.com) The merger itself is slated for 2028, subject to the approvals the museums said are still required. (metmuseum.org) (neuegalerie.org)