Crowds flocking to The Met this weekend will have more than the New York museum's usual rich content to explore; the Rockefeller Wing in the institution's south side has just been given a thorough refresh, opening its doors to the public on 31 May 2025. The redesign, which spans a whopping 40,000 sq ft of gallery space (officially titled The Michael C Rockefeller Wing), comprises the Arts of Africa, the Ancient Americas, and Oceania and has been spearheaded by architect Kulapat Yantrasast of WHY Architecture.
Inside The Met's Michael C Rockefeller Wing relaunch
In need of a rethink in order to make the most of the invaluable cultural exhibits on display and to do justice to and protect as appropriate the sensitive and important holdings of the collection, this particular wing of the museum has been shut for renovation since 2021. WHY Architecture worked collaboratively with Beyer, Blinder, Belle Architects LLP, as well as The Met’s Design Department on the project.
Now, the installations pay fitting homage to the architectural vernaculars of each region they highlight, offering a spatial experience that feels bright, airy and comfortable. The design balances intimate areas, sound and vision, with more generous moments which require space to breathe and an uncluttered approach. It all contributes to a visit that prioritises quality information, a 21st-century design take and cleverly thought-out routes and organisation to handle the landmark museum's no doubt heavy footfall to come.
It was a project with a personal meaning to Yantrasast, as he explained at the opening: 'The wing has represented for me a live mission. When I was seven years old, my parents took me for the first time abroad, outside of Thailand, where I grew up, and I was able to encounter other cultures for the first time. I am grateful to them and to all those cultures, and now I am able to plan these great portals to each of these separate regions to create immersive environments.'
The architect highlighted the importance of creating the opportunity for such an experience as he had for others visiting The Met in the future, and flagged also how important the collaboration with the teams involved in this long-term project was in the final result as well as its development.
He added: 'I think museums like The Met are places of empathy where people like me can encounter what the world's civilisations have to offer. I really wish that The Met and this wing remain a place where art and empathy always prevail.'
Alisa LaGamma, Ceil and Michael E Pulitzer curator of African Art and curator in charge of the Rockefeller Wing, said: 'The primary goal of this considerable institutional project is to deepen appreciation for the greatness of the art displayed within. While the creation of the wing asserted the place of the arts of sub-Saharan Africa, the ancient Americas, and Oceania in the world’s leading museum, the new edition underscores their autonomy from one another and foregrounds the artists responsible for those achievements.
'The new galleries devoted to three major collections presented in The Michael C Rockefeller Wing allow us to reintroduce them to the public, enriched with a wealth of contextual detail. Those layers of information range from artist bios to interviews with experts in the region that relate the works presented to specific historical sites in the form of audio guide commentary and documentary films produced as an integral part of the experience.'
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