New Museum of Contemporary Art

The first new art museum ever constructed from the ground up below 14th Street, the aptly named New Museum marks a major contribution to the continuing revitalization of downtown Manhattan. The bold seven-storey building, designed by the cutting-edge Tokyo architectural firm Sejima + Nishizawa/SANAA, opened in December 2007, housing three main gallery levels, a theatre, a café and roof terraces. The focus here is on emerging media and surveys of important but under-recognised artists—further evidence of its pioneering spirit.