the museum of modern art (MoMA) has announced that it will open its new look new york campus on october 21, 2019. the expansion, developed by MoMA with diller scofidio + renfro (DS+R) in collaboration with gensler, adds more than 40,000 square feet of gallery space and enables the museum to exhibit significantly more art in new and interdisciplinary ways. the institution’s final day of general admission will be june 15, 2019, before the museum closes for four months to prepare for the re-opening.

moma museum expansion diller scofidio renfro
exterior view of the museum of modern art on 53rd street
image and video © diller scofidio + renfro

 

 

as part of DS+R’s MoMA expansion, street-level galleries, free and open to all on the expanded ground floor, will better connect the museum to new york city and bring art closer to people on the streets of midtown manhattan. elsewhere, the ‘studio’ at the heart of the museum will feature live programming and performances, while a second-floor ‘platform’ for education will invite visitors to connect with art.

moma museum expansion diller scofidio renfro
construction progress in new gallery spaces at the museum of modern art
image courtesy of max touhey

 

 

the fifth-, fourth-, and second-floor galleries intend to offer a deeper experience of art through all mediums and by artists from more diverse geographies and backgrounds than ever before. ‘a general chronological spine will unite the three floors and serve as a touchstone of continuity for visitors,’ explains the museum. ‘individual galleries, some of which will be medium-specific, will delve into presentations of art and ideas that only MoMA’s collection can offer.’

moma museum expansion diller scofidio renfro
construction progress in new gallery spaces at the museum of modern art
image courtesy of max touhey

 

 

‘inspired by alfred barr’s original vision to be an experimental museum in new york, the real value of this expansion is not just more space, but space that allows us to rethink the experience of art in the museum,’ says glenn d. lowry, the david rockefeller director of the museum of modern art. ‘we have an opportunity to re-energize and expand upon our founding mission — to welcome everyone to experience MoMA as a laboratory for the study and presentation of the art of our time, across all visual arts.’

moma museum expansion diller scofidio renfro
construction progress in new gallery spaces at the museum of modern art
image courtesy of max touhey

 

 

recognizing that there is no single or complete history of modern and contemporary art, the museum will systematically rotate a selection of art in these collection galleries every six to nine months. by 2022, MoMA will have re-choreographed each of its galleries across the fifth, fourth, and second floors — and will constantly renew the presentation. see designboom’s previous coverage of the expansion here.

moma museum expansion diller scofidio renfro
north/south section-perspective through the new gallery spaces, looking east along 53rd street
image © diller scofidio + renfro

moma museum expansion diller scofidio renfro
elevation of the museum of modern art on 53rd street with cutaway view below street level
image © diller scofidio + renfro

moma museum expansion diller scofidio renfro
view of the marlene hess and james d. zirin lounge
image by iwan