NY's New Museum returns contemporary to heart of Manhattan

After an $82 million expansion, New York's New Museum will bring contemporary art back to the heart of Manhattan, showcasing modern works alongside classics by Dali and Marcel Duchamp after two years closed.

Re-opening its doors to the public Saturday, the 60,000-square-foot building expansion will be launched with an exhibition titled "New Humans: Memories of the Future", that probes "what it means to be 'human'," alongside several new commissions.

It will contrast contemporary and historical pieces to profile the impact of technology on mankind.

The reopening follows three years of intensive construction in one of the busiest spots in the city to future-proof Manhattan's only contemporary art museum.

The renovation was beset by several delays, pushing back the original deadline from last fall.

The new wing was designed by Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas with Cooper Robertson, and has the geometric look of angular mesh enveloping an open stair case, elevator shafts and display spaces.  

It is flanked by low-rise apartment buildings and retail spaces typical of the Bowery neighborhood.

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"It's more impressive on the inside than it is outside. A lot of time and money in this," said a guard at a preview event.

The expansion provides twice the footprint of the existing building and will now feature a dedicated studio for artists-in-residence.

"Since our founding nearly 50 years ago, the New Museum has been a home for the most groundbreaking art of today and a haven for the artists who make it," said Lisa Phillips, director of the New Museum.

"Our new 120,000-square-foot building on the Bowery signals our redoubled commitment to new art and new ideas, and to the museum as an ever-evolving site for risk-taking, collaboration and experimentation," she said.

In one gallery, Pamela Rosenkranz's "Healer (Anamazon)", a mechanical snake, slithered around the display space, inadvertently shedding part of its construction as it moved.

"It's all of ours first day," said a curator, re-assembling the artwork as it writhed.

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