Secret dinner launches new era

The New Museum celebrated its expansion with an exclusive dinner at Oberon, an OMA-designed restaurant in its lobby that resembles a landed spaceship.

Gioni becomes director after 20 years

Massimiliano Gioni was appointed director after two decades as artistic director under Lisa Phillips, who discovered him curating the Berlin Biennale in 2006.

Artists and trustees as two bosses

Gioni called the opening dinner 'the first supper' to bring together his two constituencies: artists and trustees, reflecting the museum's founding principle.

“"We called it 'the first supper,' to bring together what I call my two bosses: the artists and the trustees."”

Staying true to artist-first mission

Gioni vowed not to turn the museum into a corporate entity focused on management, honoring founder Marcia Tucker's vision of prioritizing artists over bureaucracy.

“"We want to remain the place of the artists. We don't want to just become a corporate entity."”

Museum founded by fired curator

Marcia Tucker started the New Museum in 1977 after being fired from the Whitney for championing a Richard Tuttle show the uptown board rejected.

From SoHo to the Bowery

The museum moved from a 19th-century SoHo building to the Bowery, a street historically associated with dereliction but now home to artists and galleries.

Expansion doubles exhibition space

The new building seamlessly integrates with the old one, doubling exhibition space and allowing shows to flow naturally without the constraints of massive elevator banks.

Three inaugural shows open

The reopening features Arthur Jafa's first New York museum survey, Diego Marcon's 'Arrivederci, Piggies!', and Lisa Phillips's 'The Devil's Mile' about the Bowery's 400-year history.

Jafa show integrates multiple mediums

Arthur Jafa's 'I Am Tony' combines his signature videos with massive sculpture, screenprints, collage, assemblages, and immersive installations across the expanded galleries.

Bowery show localizes global museum

Phillips's exhibition traces the Bowery from a Lenape footpath to today, featuring local artists like Billy Sullivan and galleries such as Hoffman Donahue.

International partnerships expand reach

Marcon's show is co-produced by institutions in Madrid, Paris, Chicago, and Toronto, reflecting the New Museum's growing global network of collaborators.

Gioni brings cosmopolitan perspective

The new director has curated the Venice Biennale and interviewed every living former director for an oral history, positioning the museum within a cross-Atlantic web of institutions.

Power couple leads cultural institutions

Gioni's wife is Cecilia Alemani, curator of the 2022 Venice Biennale and director of the High Line, making them one of the art world's most influential couples.

Opening night draws art world crowds

The vernissage brought hundreds of artists and collectors to the Bowery, with Jafa chatting with Gioni in his own show and galleries hosting dinners at nearby restaurants.

Gioni balances ambition with anxiety

The new director acknowledged the weight of his role, joking that he's like a man who jumped from a plane without a parachute, saying 'so far, so good' as he falls.

“"it's the joke of the guy who jumped from a plane without a parachute and he keeps saying, 'So far, so good,' as he approaches earth."”

Bowery transforms with museum energy

Opening night brought unusual foot traffic to the historic street, with diners spilling onto sidewalks and board members mixing with the neighborhood's evolving character.

New building connects past and future

Gioni designed the shows as 'introspectives rather than retrospectives,' using the expanded space to show visitors 'the art of tomorrow today' while honoring local history.

“"see the art of tomorrow today"”