New Museum
Author: Anothertravelguide.com0 COMMENTS
The new building of the New Museum (an art institution exclusively interested in contemporary art) is finally opening on 1 December; the city, unquestionably the current citadel of arts, has been anticipating the event for the best part of the year. The impressive 60 000 square feet building, designed by the Tokyo-based architects Sejima and Nishizawa (they founded their Sejima+Nishizawa/SANAA company in 1995), houses a number of exhibition halls/galleries and a theatre auditorium that seats 200; a separate floor is allocated to educational programmes. There is, of course, also a café and a museum shop, a top floor and a roof terrace for special occasions, etc. With the new building the museum is consolidating its position on the New York art scene. Mass media have commented on the successful marketing campaign, observing that it is not just about the new concrete and steel construction but also about a somewhat obscure institution transforming into an essential living organism of the creative realm. The staff has significantly increased; the exhibition schedule has expanded and a great deal of attention is paid to education programmes. At a time when the prices of contemporary art have grown beyond the most daring expectations during the last year, the expansion of the New Museum is a natural step logically prompted by the course of events. Before taking up the post in 1999, Lisa Phillips, the Director of the New Museum, worked as an art curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art for 23 years. She has managed to assemble a staff of high-level professionals, including Massimiliano Gioni, the curator of the Berlin Biennial, Richard Flood, the former chief curator of the Minneapolis Walker Art Centre, and Laura Hoptman, curator of the Pittsburgh Carnegie Museum of Art. To mark the unveiling of the new building, they have joined their forces and mounted an international exhibition of sculpture. According to the administration of the New Museum, the strength of the team lies in the fact that they all share a great passion for contemporary art and also like each other.
235 Bowery
www.newmuseum.org