The Met Breaks Ground on $670M Tang Wing — A Bold New Home for Modern and Contemporary Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has officially broken ground on a new $670 million wing dedicated to modern and contemporary art, named for emeritus trustee Oscar L. Tang and his wife H. M. Agnes Hsu-Tang.

The project, which began development in 2014, accelerated in 2021 when Tang and Hsu-Tang—two of the world’s most prominent collectors—donated $125 million toward renovating the museum’s modern art facilities. At the time, that was the largest capital gift in the Met’s history.

Mexico City–based architect Frida Escobedo was announced as the project designer in 2022, and the museum unveiled completed designs in 2025. The new Tang Wing is scheduled to open in 2030.

Groundbreaking Ceremony

The ceremony was attended by the donors, Tang and Hsu-Tang, along with the Met’s modern and contemporary art curator David Breslin, Director and CEO Max Hollein, and Brett Gallard, head of capital projects. Several elected officials joined the event, including New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin; Council Members Virginia Maloney and Gale Brewer; New York State Assemblymember Keith Powers; and State Senator Jose Serrano.

"Working with Frida Escobedo on her visionary design has been an enormous privilege, and together with our trustees and donors we are excited to celebrate this important milestone as we begin the work that will turn that vision into a reality," said Max Hollein.

What the Tang Wing Will Offer

The museum reports it has raised $670 million to date, funding construction and a "significant portion" of the wing’s operating costs. The Tang Wing will span 126,000 square feet in total and provide nearly 70,000 square feet of exhibition space across five levels. The top two levels will be set back to create outdoor terraces, and a café will occupy the top floor.

Gallery ceiling heights will range from 11 to 22 feet, allowing the Met to display everything from intimate two-dimensional works to large-scale installations. The Met’s well-known rooftop garden, which closed last October on the museum’s fifth floor to make way for the expansion, will relocate to the new wing’s fourth-floor terrace and reopen in 2030 with several thousand additional square feet.

"The design for the Tang Wing weaves together the many architectural styles that make up The Met's campus, honoring each building's own history while creating a space that is distinctly of our time," said Frida Escobedo.

The Tang Wing represents a major investment in the Met’s capacity to present modern and contemporary art, expand public access to exhibitions and programs, and refresh the museum campus with new indoor and outdoor spaces. Construction is expected to continue through the rest of the decade, with public opening planned for 2030.