New Museum

Designed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA, Tokyo, the New Museum is a monumental undertaking—a seven-floor Wabi-Sabi monolith of teetering boxes, brimming with three floors of contemporary art and an intimate top floor offering spectacular views of downtown New York. Due to its edgy architecture, the building was named one of the seven wonders by Condé Nast Traveller in 2008. New Museum’s commitment to showcasing visionary, daring work by living artists was born from founder Marcia Tucker. Less than 24 hours after the Whitney Museum relieved her from an eight-year tenure as Curator of Painting and Sculpture for staging exhibitions that were deemed too edgy, this innovator created an institution that quickly became known for its provocative and inspired projects. That was 1977, and ever since then, Manhattan’s sole contemporary art museum has had a reputation for presenting works that are, you guessed it: edgy.