The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York announced that, after the closure of the current exhibition, its famous Roof Garden will remain closed for several years. The exhibition, which will end on 19 October 2025, will be the last before a long period of renovation and enlargement. The panoramic terrace, one of the most frequented destinations of the museum visitors, will not reopen before 2030.
The last installation before the break is signed by artist Jennie C. Jones, born in Cincinnati and known for his research between sound and visual form. The exhibition is entitled Ensemble and includes three monumental sculptures inspired by string instruments, made of metal and composite materials. The works, although not playable, interact with the environment through the wind and the air movement, taking back themes dear to the artist as the relationship between visual minimalism and African American experimental music.
The project is part of the annual commissions of the Met for the Roof Garden, launched in 2013. Every year the museum has entrusted a contemporary artist with the creation of a temporary installation on the roof, transforming the space into an international showcase for sculpture and site-specific art. Over time, the program hosted globally renowned artists and works that ranged from architectural references to conceptual installations related to social or cultural themes.
The closing of the terrace is linked to the beginning of the works for the construction of the new wing of the museum, the Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing, an estimated $500 million extension designed by the Mexican architect Frida Escobedo. The intervention includes over 12 thousand square meters dedicated to modern and contemporary art and about 1,700 square meters of new terraces overlooking Central Park. The Roof Garden Cantor will be transferred and expanded to the fourth floor of the new building, from 700 to over 900 square meters.
The new wing should open to the public in 2030, the year in which the installation programme on the roof can resume. Until then, the closing of the Roof Garden will mark the temporary suspension of one of the most recognizable initiatives of the Met and one of the symbolic places of the New York museum experience.
L’articolo The Met will close its famous rooftop for five years proviene da IlNewyorkese.
