The Met Raises $550M to Develop New Contemporary Art Wing

After raking in $550 million in donations, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is replacing one of its wings to have a bigger exhibition space.

Oscar Tang and his wife H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang provided about $125 million for what will be known as the Tang Wing extending into the southwest portion of the museum and expanding the wing’s footprint from 120,000 square feet to about 125,000 square feet, according to the museum.

The Tang Wing will replace the Wallace Wing and will display 20th and 21st century art from the Met’s collection. Completion is expected by 2029, and the museum said it will create 4,000 union jobs in construction hired from minority- and women-owned business enterprises.

“The Met is a leader of culture and creativity that inspires and advances understanding of heritages across time and borders,” the Tang family said in a statement. “We are deeply moved that so many generous donors — in the U.S. and around the world — have joined us to elevate and magnify the Met’s mission with the new modern and contemporary wing.”

Mexican architect Frida Escobedo will do the design work for the facility that will house collections by the Met such as “The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism,” “Weaving Abstraction in Ancient and Modern Art” and “Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery.”

The Tang Wing will need to go through a review process with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, as all 21 buildings that comprise the museum are landmarked. The Public Design Commission will also review plans. Both reviews are expected to wrap by the end of 2025. 

“This significant investment in a treasured public asset will open countless opportunities for hardworking New Yorkers to pursue the middle class and support their families, all while giving visitors of the Met an elevated experience,” Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, said in a statement.

But, approvals look good for the project since it has the support of Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and other elected officials who voiced their support in a press release.

The money for the new wing is being donated by Tang, the founder of asset manager Reich & Tang, and his wife Hsu-Tang, who has worked for several cultural groups including former President Barack Obama’s Cultural Property Advisory Committee, according to the New York Times. The couple also recently donated $40 million to the New York Philharmonic.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.