New York's New Museum to Double in Size After $82M Expansion
A new face for the Manhattan museum hopes to affirm its history as a ‘future‑facing’ institution. Save to My Ocula
The New Museum in Lower Manhattan, New York will double in size this autumn after the completion of a 82 million USD building connected to its flagship museum on the Bowery.
The seven-storey building designed by architecture firm OMA and Cooper Robertson will double the museum’s galleries, add artist studio and event spaces, and house the museum’s incubator programme for art and technology, New Inc.
With an exterior made from laminated glass and metal mesh, the venue will embody ‘an inviting presence that also draws the public inwards’.
The expansion seeks to enhance visitors’ experience with additional elevators and staircase, a seventh-floor sky room with panoramic views, and an atrium for large-scale installations.
The museum’s inaugural exhibition, New Humans, Memories of the Future, will bring together work by 150 artists, writers, scientists, and architects to explore how makers over time have envisioned humanity and its future amid technological changes.
Renowned artists like Salvador Dalí, H.R. Giger, and Hannah Höch and contemporary works by Anicka Yi, Meriem Bennani, Hito Steyerl will show that our ‘most terrifying concerns’ are as ‘old as humanity itself’, said New Museum artistic director Massimiliano Gioni.
An outdoor plaza on the ground floor will welcome a new commission by Sarah Lucas, the inaugural recipient of the biennial Hostetler/Wrigley Sculpture Award presented to a woman artist.
New Museum director Lisa Phillips said the museum has always been ‘future-facing’, emphasising that the 1977 institution is ‘a vital civic resource’ where ‘history is made’.
The building is named after the late philanthropist and New Museum trustee Toby Devan Lewis, who donated 30 million USD to the museum’s 125 million USD campaign.
For 2026, the museum is slated to host American artist Arthur Jafa‘s first New York museum exhibition and the sixth New Museum Triennial. —[O]
Main image: Rendering of the expanded New Museum, New York. Courtesy OMA/bloomimages.de.
A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.
Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine
Showcasing the best of the art world.
Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.
Learn more about Ocula Membership
Specialises in the sale of major artworks.
Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.
Learn more about our team and services