The New Museum in New York has announced that its OMA-designed expansion will open to the public on March 21, following nearly a decade of planning and a two-year closure. The 60,000-square-foot addition, located next to the original flagship on Bowery Street, doubles the institution's footprint and features new residency studios, exhibition spaces, a restaurant, a forum, and a Sky Room. The inaugural exhibition, "New Humans: Memories of the Future," will showcase 150 artists including Sophia Al-Maria, Meriem Bennani, Hito Steyerl, Tau Lewis, and Jamian Juliano-Villani, alongside permanent commissions by Tschabalala Self and Sarah Lucas. The building, designed by Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas of OMA with executive architect Cooper Robertson, is one of the few museums worldwide designed by two Pritzker Prize winners.
The opening marks a milestone for the New Museum and its director Lisa Phillips, who is retiring in April after 27 years. The project, originally budgeted at $63 million and now costing $82 million, reflects the museum's redoubled commitment to new art and risk-taking. The expansion, named for philanthropist and collector Toby Devan Lewis, provides a permanent home for the cultural incubator NEW INC and integrates with the original SANAA-designed building. Its completion after years of delays and budget growth underscores the challenges and ambitions of major institutional expansions in the U.S. art world.