The Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan will close its doors this summer to finish a $400 million overhaul of its collection. The redesigned 40,000 square foot space will invite visitors to rethink modern art, with new emphasis on women artists and artists of color. This renovation will allow the museum to display close to 1,000 additional works from their collection.
This summer’s overhaul will allow the MoMA to rotate new and existing art exhibits every six to nine months, allowing more of the MoMA’s vast collection to be seen by the public. Also included in the museums’ changes is a partnership with the Studio Museum in Harlem, which will allow the Studio Museum to house exhibits at the MoMA while the 125th St. Studio Museum is under construction. This partnership will allow Studio Museum artists to reach a wider audience, and will connect the internationally-known MoMA with the works of local and lesser-known artists.
The MoMA was also recently gifted an additional $200 million from the David Rockefeller Estate, marking a new record for the largest gift the museum has ever received. David Rockefeller, the last living grandson of John D. Rockefeller, has donated numerous works by Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, and Henri Matisse. The Rockefeller family has been avid supporters of the museum since Abby Aldrich Rockefeller’s role in the museum’s founding in 1929.
The MoMA will close its doors for the summer season starting June 15 and reopening October 21. The reconfigured museum will include a revamped museum store, a new opening hour of 10AM (with a member entrance of 9:30AM), and a new and welcoming lobby for visitors.