Met museum ready for makeover

The New York landmark has planned a brand-new wing to house contemporary art, Robin Pogrebin reports.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is planning to rebuild its wing for modern and contemporary art - possibly from scratch - to create new showcase galleries for its expanded collection from those periods, Met officials have confirmed. Part of the first comprehensive re-examination of the museum's layout in 40 years, the planned new wing sends a powerful signal that the Met is acknowledging its shortcomings in the area of modern and contemporary art and stepping up its commitment to that area in order to become truly encyclopedic.

"It seemed a logical moment to really step back and think about the needs of the museum in the next 30 years," says Thomas P. Campbell, director of the Met. "It's the modern wing's turn to get it right."