The Met Now Expects to Be Closed Almost All Summer—and It Just Canceled All Events Through 2020 (Meaning No Met Gala)

It looks like it’s going to be a long, less-than-art-filled
summer in New York. The Metropolitan Museum of
Art is extending its closure until at least mid-August, and is
officially cancelling its star-studded Met Gala for 2020.

When the museum does reopen, guests can expect to see reduced
visiting hours, according to a statement issued by institution on
Tuesday. The Met is also cancelling all in-person tours and events
through the end of the year—planned celebrations of the
museum’s 150th anniversary will be delayed until 2021.

The institution, which has been closed since March 13, had
previously been targeting a July 1 reopening.

The gala, the Costume Institute’s annual benefit hosted by
Vogue, had been indefinitely postponed.
Although fashion’s biggest night out is taking the year off—aside
from an online version staged by
precocious Gen Zers on the traditional first Monday in
May—”About Time: Fashion and
Duration,” the show the evening would have celebrated, will be
on view from October 29 through February 7, 2021. The party has
been cancelled twice before: once in 1963, after President John F.
Kennedy was assassinated, and in 2002, following the 9/11
attacks.

The Met’s extended closure has already taken a devastating financial
toll on the institution, which is predicting a $150
million shortfall. The museum laid off 81
employees and cut executive level pay in April. The institution
did not respond to inquiries as to whether pushing back the
reopening would necessitate additional layoffs or furloughs.

The Met was one of the first museums in the
country to shut its doors in response to the global health
crisis. Other New York institutions will likely look to the Met as
they craft their own plans to resume normal operations—even if that
new normal requires temperature checks and face masks upon entry,
with dramatically scaled-back capacity limits to allow for
appropriate social distancing and other health considerations.

This weekend, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will become
the first major US
institution to reopen, following in the
footsteps of museums in Asia and Europe. As the
epicenter of the US outbreak, New York City is being extremely
cautious in its reopening plans.

“The Met has endured much in its 150 years, and today continues
as a beacon of hope for the future,” said Met president and CEO
Daniel H. Weiss in a statement. “This museum is also a profound
reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the power of art
to offer comfort, inspiration, and community. As we endure these
challenging and uncertain times, we are encouraged by looking
forward to the day when we can once again welcome all to enjoy the
Met’s collection and exhibitions.”

The post The Met Now Expects to Be Closed Almost All
Summer—and It Just Canceled All Events Through 2020 (Meaning No Met
Gala) appeared first on artnet News.