Designboom: The Met’s new Rockefeller Wing to open on Saturday with public party

Designboom marks the public reopening of the Met’s Michael C. Rockefeller Wing on May 31, 2025, after a multi-year, $70 million renovation led by WHY Architecture with Beyer Blinder Belle and the Met’s design department.

The piece previews the day’s public party and walks readers through the redesigned 40,000-square-foot wing dedicated to the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Ancient Americas — with daylight pouring through the restored 200-foot sloped glass wall facing Central Park.

Image: Eric Petschek / courtesy of WHY Architecture

The reimagining is led by Kulapat Yantrasast and reorganizes the layout so that light-sensitive works sit in carefully placed alcoves, while hardier metal and stone pieces hold the space closer to the glass.