After two years of anticipation and a massive $82 million expansion, the New Museum is officially back—and it’s unrecognizable in the best way possible.
While we gave you a sneak peek of the renovation a few months ago, the doors are finally swinging open to the public this Saturday, March 21st.
This isn’t just a fresh coat of paint; the contemporary art landmark has literally doubled in size, transforming from a single “stack of boxes” into a sprawling 120,000-square-foot creative campus.
A new architectural icon on the Bowery
Designed by the legendary architectural firm OMA (led by Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas), the new wing is a “crystalline” counterpart to the original 2007 SANAA building.
The most striking addition? A massive, winding atrium staircase that the architects call a “social condenser.” I
t’s designed to let you see the art—and other visitors—from entirely new angles as you move between floors.
Inside, you’ll find a soaring, 30-foot column-free gallery on the fourth floor and a brand-new 7th-floor Sky Room offering some of the best panoramic views of Manhattan you can find on the Bowery.
Step into the future with ‘New Humans’
To celebrate the rebirth, the museum is taking over both buildings with a massive inaugural exhibition: “New Humans: Memories of the Future.”
Curated by Artistic Director Massimiliano Gioni, the show is an epic, slightly trippy deep dive into how technology has reshaped what it means to be “human” over the last century.
With over 700 objects from 200+ artists, it’s a lot to take in, but here’s what you can’t miss:
- The Hall of Robots: Encounter everything from sleek 1920s-style automatons to eerie, hyper-lifelike figures.
- Surreal Masterpieces: The show bridges the gap between 20th-century icons like Salvador Dalí and Francis Bacon and modern stars like Anicka Yi and Hito Steyerl.
- Bio-Art & Hybrids: Prepare for the beautifully unsettling, including transparent anatomical sculptures, digital octopus-human hybrids, and works that explore the “cyborg” future.
- Site-Specific Thrills: Keep an eye out for Klára Hosnedlová’s monumental fiber artwork tumbling down the atrium and a new plaza installation by Sarah Lucas.
Good art, better food
If you get “museum fatigue,” (spoiler: you probably wont’t) the new ground-floor restaurant (operated by the Oberon Group) is slated to be a destination in its own right.
Featuring a menu by chef Julia Sherman and a site-specific digital commission by artist Ian Cheng, it’s the perfect spot to decompress after wandering through the “speculative futures” upstairs.
How to visit
The New Museum (located at 235 Bowery) officially reopens this Saturday. Here are the deets you need to know:
- Opening Weekend: Saturday, March 21 & Sunday, March 22. Admission is FREE all weekend, but you must register for tickets online in advance (act fast—they’re going quick!).
- Regular Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 11 am – 6 pm.
- Pay-What-You-Wish: Every Thursday evening from 7 pm – 9 pm.
- Admission: Standard adult admission is $20, with discounts for seniors ($15) and students ($12). As always, visitors under 18 are free!
