New York's MoMA to undergo four-month renovation

NEW YORK - AFP

The Museum of Modern Art in New York, home to works by Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein and other modern masters, will close for four months this year to expand and offer "more art in new and interdisciplinary ways," it said on Feb. 5.

MoMA is one of the most prominent art museums in the United States and will reopen on October 21.

It will have one-third more exhibition space after the $400-million project that aims to highlight "creative affinities and frictions" by displaying a range of media together -- from painting to architecture, performance, or film, the museum said in a statement.

At its heart will be a space dubbed The Studio that will feature live programming and performances "that react to, question, and challenge histories of modern art and the current cultural moment," MoMA said.

An expanded ground floor will have street-level galleries to bring art closer to people, it added.

MoMA said that upper-level galleries will showcase works in all media by artists "from more diverse geographies and backgrounds than ever before."

Among the exhibitions after the reopening will be a look into MoMA's holdings of modern Latin American art.

Another will focus on African American artist Betye Saar.

The renovation with New York architects Diller Scofidio+Renfro will add more than 3,700 square meters of gallery space.

MoMA's spring exhibitions, including Birth of the World dedicated to Spanish artist Juan Miro, will end with its closure

The expansion reflects major donations received by MoMA, including $100 million from entertainment mogul David Geffen in 2016.

An initial renovation project, lasting more than a year, was completed in June 2017.