Re-MoMA

The Museum of Modern Art in NYC re-opens to the public tomorrow after a two-and-a-half year absence from Manhattan. I’ve been in the new space a few times during construction and last night I was lucky enough to go to the re-opening party. More on that in a second. First, the building. Impressive. There’s a new spaciousness to the galleries that really allows the works of art to exist in meaningful relation to one another rather than simply next to one another. Yoshio Taniguchi has made some great choices with interior windows and portals, teasing visitors (spot Matisse’s Dance ) with snatches of art seen from afar. Perhaps my favorite part of the new architecture are the windows (specially treated to minimize direct sunlight) that look out onto the sculpture garden and the museum’s “architectural neighbors” in Midtown. Upcoming tours available in the museum will actually make a point of commenting on the architecture visible from the windows, an extension of the museum’s architectural holdings — literally a museum outside the walls. I like that concept.

The party was well done. DJ’s on every floor, a band on the top floor, open bar, cafés turned into hip lounges. One can’t complain. No red wine though. “We’re MoMA. We don’t do red wine,” I was told. I wasn’t cool enough to construct a comeback so I can only think he meant they don’t serve red wine because of the staining possibilities. But maybe there’s another story. Like, we’re MoMA and red wine is so The Whitney.

A few photos of the space and event are available.