New Museum of Contemporary Art (New Museum)

The New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York is the avant-garde of the avant-garde. It showcases not only painting but also entirely new forms of art: video art, installations, and technology-driven projects. This is the place to see what you won’t find anywhere else.

Even the building itself is a work of art. Designed by the Japanese architecture firm SANAA, it looks like a stack of glass boxes piled on top of each other. On the seventh floor, visitors will also find a beautiful observation deck — a perfect spot for Instagram-worthy views.

History

The New Museum was founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, then a curator at the Whitney Museum, who envisioned a new art space for artists whose work did not fit into traditional institutions.

It was the first museum in New York dedicated to contemporary art to open since World War II. From the start, its mission has been to spotlight living artists whose work was not yet widely recognized, introducing new voices to the public.

In the mid-1990s, the museum expanded its focus to include international artists who had not received recognition in the U.S., as well as older artists overlooked by the mainstream. Its mission also evolved to preserve and present the work of recently deceased artists, particularly those lost during the AIDS crisis.

In 2002, following an international competition, SANAA was selected to design a new building.

On December 1, 2007, the museum opened its doors at 235 Bowery, in a structure featuring five floors of exhibition space, a theater, and the iconic Sky Room, with panoramic views of Lower Manhattan.

In November 2022, the museum began an ambitious expansion led by OMA. The new building, integrated with SANAA’s design, will double the exhibition space and add new areas for artist residencies and public programming.

Exhibitions

Unlike traditional museums, the New Museum does not maintain a large permanent collection. Instead, its exhibitions focus on emerging, underrepresented, and first-time-shown artists. Many are from regions often overlooked in the global art world, including Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Exhibits include painting and sculpture alongside installation, video, digital works, and performance.

Solo Exhibitions

Over the years, the New Museum has presented solo shows by Kara Walker, Pipilotti Rist, Chris Ofili, Paul Chan, Wangechi Mutu, Danh Vo, and many others. For several of these artists, international recognition followed their exhibitions here.

Seven on Seven

A pioneering project at the intersection of art and technology, where artists are paired with programmers to create unique digital objects, platforms, or performances.

Upcoming: New Humans: Memories of the Future (Fall 2025)

The first exhibition in the expanded New Museum building will explore the question: What does it mean to be human in an era of rapid technological change? More than 150 artists, writers, scientists, architects, and filmmakers from around the world will present their visions of the past, present, and possible futures of humanity.