New York, NY On March 18th, The Metropolitan Museum of Art invites the public to celebrate the opening of The Met Breuer with three days of special programs inaugurating its new space dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Through a range of exhibitions, commissions, performances, and artist residencies, The Met Breuer will enable visitors to engage with the art of the 20th and 21st centuries through the global breadth and historical reach of the Met’s unparalleled collection and resources. To launch its first season, the museum will offer extended hours at The Met Breuer from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, March 18th, and Saturday, March 19th. The Met Breuer will also host a special family day on Sunday, March 20th (10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.) with special programs and events for visitors of all ages.
“The reopening of Marcel Breuer’s iconic building on Madison Ave. represents an important chapter in the cultural life of New York City,” said Thomas Campbell, director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Whether frequent or first-time visitors to our Fifth Ave. building or The Cloisters, we look forward to welcoming everyone to The Met Breuer, which will provide an unparalleled opportunity to experience modern and contemporary art through the lens of the historical and global Met collection.”
Sheena Wagstaff, the Leonard A. Lauder chairman of the Met’s Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, said, “With the launch of The Met Breuer in March, we are honoring the history of this beloved building and embracing its significance to the cultural landscape of our city as we infuse it with the Met’s curatorial spirit for the public to enjoy. For our inaugural season, we have developed a far-reaching program that explores themes that stretch across history, geography, and art forms. Great works of art can transcend both time and place, as our program will powerfully demonstrate.”
The Met Breuer’s program will spotlight modern and contemporary art in dialogue with historic works that embrace the full range and reach of the museum’s collection. The building will host both monographic and thematic exhibitions, as well as new commissions and performances. The two inaugural exhibitions at The Met Breuer will be a major, cross-departmental curatorial initiative, Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible, including works by some of the greatest artists of all time, ranging from Titian to Louise Bourgeois, who experimented with a non finito style; and the largest exhibition to date dedicated to Indian modernist Nasreen Mohamedi. Additionally, a music installation by resident artist Vijay Iyer will captivate The Met Breuer’s lobby gallery.
Photography will also be a cornerstone of The Met Breuer’s program, including a presentation of early photographs by Diane Arbus, opening in July, that is primarily drawn from the Museum’s Diane Arbus Archive; and, in the fall a series of commissioned architectural photographs that document four seminal public buildings designed by Marcel Breuer. In October, culminating The Met Breuer’s inaugural season, will be the first major survey in the U.S. of Kerry James Marshall, whose work asserts the place of the black figure within the narrative of Western painting.
These programs will all take place within an iconic building that has been renovated and restored with architect Marcel Breuer’s original design vision in mind and will support an integrated experience of art and architecture. Restoration work is being executed under the guidance of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners LLC to maintain the unique character of the building’s signature attributes such as the concrete walls, stone floors, and bronze fixtures, with special consideration being given to preserving the aesthetic of weathered areas to respect the patina of history within the space. The Met has collaborated with the Whitney Museum of American Art to upgrade the building’s infrastructure systems in preparation for its reopening in 2016. In addition, the Met has commissioned landscape architect Günther Vogt to activate the sunken garden with a design that includes Quaking Aspen trees planted along the perimeter.
The Met gratefully acknowledges the following lead contributors to The Met Breuer:
Daniel and Estrellita Brodsky and Howard S. and Nancy Marks; The Carson Family Charitable Trust, Tony and Amie James, and Anthony W. and Lulu C. Wang; Cheryl and Blair Effron, Mark Fisch and Rachel Davidson, Mr. and Mrs. J. Tomilson Hill, Eliot C. and Wilson Nolen, Samantha Boardman Rosen and Aby J. Rosen, Bonnie J. Sacerdote, and Alejandro Santo Domingo; Anne Cox Chambers, Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey W. Greenberg, Mary and Michael Jaharis, Leonard A. Lauder, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee, The Dr. Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation, Barrie and Deedee Wigmore, and two anonymous donors.
About The Met Breuer
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s modern and contemporary art program is expanding to include a new series of exhibitions, performances, artist commissions, residencies, and educational initiatives in the building designed by Marcel Breuer on Madison Avenue and 75th Street. Opening to the public on March 18, 2016, The Met Breuer provides additional space to explore the art of the 20th and 21st centuries through the global breadth and historical reach of the Met’s unparalleled collection.
Hours for The Met Breuer Inaugural Weekend, March 18–20
Friday, March 18, 10:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 19, 10:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 20, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Regular Hours for The Met Breuer (as of March 21)
Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Thursday and Friday, 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Closed Monday
The Met Breuer is featured on the Museum’s website at www.metmuseum.org/Breuer as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via the hashtag #MetBreuer
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