Frida Escobedo to Design Met's New $500M Modern and Contemporary Wing
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has appointed Frida Escobedo, a Mexican architect born in 1979, to create its Oscar L. Tang and Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing for modern and contemporary art, a significant milestone as it is the first commission awarded to a woman since 1870. This ambitious project will span nearly 7,500 square meters and is expected to take around seven years to complete. Escobedo, who established her studio in 2006, holds degrees from Universidad Iberoamericana and Harvard. Her notable works include the 2018 Serpentine Pavilion and contributions to the Lisbon Architecture Triennale and the Victoria and Albert Museum. The initiative is backed by a generous $125 million donation from Oscar Liu-Chien Tang and Agnes Hsu-Tang. Met President Daniel H. Weiss commended Escobedo's impressive portfolio.
Key facts
- Frida Escobedo selected to design the new $500 million wing for modern and contemporary art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Escobedo is the first woman to receive such a commission from the Met since its founding in 1870.
- The wing will cover nearly 7,500 square meters and is expected to take about seven years to complete.
- The project was delayed for years until Oscar Liu-Chien Tang and Agnes Hsu-Tang donated $125 million, the largest gift in Met history.
- Escobedo previously designed the Serpentine Pavilion in 2018, becoming the youngest architect to do so.
- She studied at Universidad Iberoamericana and Harvard's Graduate School of Design.
- Other firms considered included Ensamble Studio, Lacaton & Vassal, SO — IL, and David Chipperfield Architects.
- Escobedo has taught at Columbia, Harvard, and Yale.
Entities
Artists
- Frida Escobedo
Institutions
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Serpentine Gallery
- Royal Institute of British Architects
- Domus
- Columbia University
- Harvard University
- Yale University
- Handel Architects
- National Black Theatre
- Ensamble Studio
- Lacaton & Vassal
- SO — IL
- David Chipperfield Architects
- Universidad Iberoamericana
- Harvard Graduate School of Design
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- La Tallera Siqueiros
- Artribune
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Mexico City
- Mexico
- Lisbon
- Portugal
- Chicago
- London
- United Kingdom
- Cuernavaca
- Harlem