The Metropolitan Museum of Art has launched construction on the Tang Wing, a major new home for modern and contemporary art designed by Mexican architect Frida Escobedo.
Set to replace the Lila Acheson Wallace Wing at the museum's southwest corner, the 126,000-square-foot project will significantly broaden The Met's presentation of 20th- and 21st-century works. The new wing is expected to add 69,500 square feet of gallery space, increasing the museum's modern and contemporary exhibition capacity by nearly 50%.
Escobedo becomes the first woman to design a wing for The Met. At the groundbreaking ceremony, she reflected on architecture as an evolving process, connecting the project to the museum's unfinished historic façade details and the idea that cultural institutions continuously gain new layers of meaning.
Beyond expanded galleries, the Tang Wing is planned to strengthen accessibility across the museum and support lower energy use through its design. The project is scheduled to welcome visitors in 2030.
The new wing signals how leading museums can evolve their spaces to meet changing artistic perspectives, creating more inclusive and sustainable platforms for future cultural dialogue.
