The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City announced Sunday that the Mexico City-based architect Frida Escobedo will undertake a $500 million redesign of its modern and contemporary art wing. Escobedo, 42, reportedly edged out better-known firms including David Chipperfield Architects, SO-IL, Ensamble Studio, and 2021 Pritzker laureates Lacaton & Vassal for the prestigious commission.
The proposed renovation and expansion of the Met’s modern and contemporary wing was first announced in May 2014, but the project failed to take off due to sluggish fundraising. Escobedo is effectively succeeding Chipperfield’s firm, which was initially selected in 2015 to design the expansion but whose plans reportedly had ballooned in cost up to $800 million. In December, a $125 million donation from trustees Oscar L. Tang and his wife Agnes Hsu-Tang—the largest in the museum’s history—finally restarted the long-awaited redesign.
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