Peterson Rich Office unveils new Costume Institute galleries at the Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has completed the Condé M. Nast Galleries, designed by Peterson Rich Office (PRO). The 12,000-square-foot space, carved from a former courtyard, is dedicated to the Costume Institute's annual spring shows. It opened in May with 'Costume Art,' an exhibition pairing garments with artworks organized by body types across age, size, gender, and disability. PRO, a Brooklyn firm, divided the interior into five spaces, using limestone, quartz, paneled oak doors, and gray marmorino plaster. The design exposes historic walls from 1880 and 1894, revealing the building's layered past. Lighting, by Dot Dash and CS Global, illuminates ceilings above infrastructural beams. The galleries feature a High Gallery with 21-foot ceilings and a Low Gallery with scrim dividers. Mannequins have mirrored faces by artist Samar Hejazi. PRO also worked with Beyer Blinder Belle, TYLin, and Kohler Ronan. The firm is additionally redesigning the Met's dining, retail, and street-level entrance.