The Met in New York exhibits 1,800 works from Africa, the Americas, and Oceania in a renovated wing.

The Metropolitan Museum (Met) in New York reopened its new galleries dedicated to the arts of Africa, ancient America and Oceania – containing more than 1,800 works – after a multi-million dollar renovation from the wing named after Michael C. Rockefeller .

Visitors can admire the 3,700 square meters of this remodeled space, from tall ancestral West Papuan totem poles carved from mangrove trees to numerous gold and silver figures from different South American countries and various wooden masks of African origin, among many other works.

All of this is set against the backdrop of Central Park, thanks to a new sloping glass wall on the south facade. The previous glass wall didn't protect the artwork from the sun's ultraviolet rays emanating from the iconic park, so the museum previously had to keep the blinds down and use more direct artificial light.

"We wanted to move away from this almost cinematic, dark, and theatrical lighting to a more pristine, beautiful, and light-filled outdoor space ," museum executive director Max Hollein noted in a private press screening.

The Met director noted that this new lighting helps the works appear more "authentically" and gives the objects "greater integrity," as many of the pieces on display were created to be displayed outdoors.

An idea shared by Laura Filloy Nadal, curator of the Arts of Ancient America , who explained that many of the Mayan art works in the wing were in plazas or public or private buildings "bathed in sunlight and with vegetation behind them."

"This opportunity to have Central Park (behind us) allows us to see how objects change throughout the day and throughout the hours ," the Mexican curator added.

The collection, owned by philanthropist Nelson A. Rockefeller, was donated to the Met in 1969 as a new department and wing. It opened in the early 1980s, and the wing was named the Michael C. Rockefeller Museum, in honor of his son, who disappeared at age 23 during a collecting expedition among the Asmat—the same ethnic group in southwestern New Guinea whose imposing totem poles are on display today.

This section of the museum closed in 2021 and, following a renovation designed by WHY Architecture and Beyer Blinder Belle Architects, now presents the three distinct areas: Africa, Oceania, and Latin America, rather than grouped under the "primitive" label, as was previously the case.

The museum has made an effort to show not only the piece's journey, but also the origin and history of its creator.

As is the case of a Yoruba palace door – a West African culture – carved in 1904 by the master sculptor Olowe of Ise, which recounts a meeting between the king and a delegation of British colonial officials.

"The fact that we have all this rich knowledge about that work is something we would want for all of these pieces. By highlighting that kind of information, we're pointing out that context is important for understanding these works, specificity is important, and our role as art historians is to uncover all of that," said the curator of African art and curator in charge of the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing.

Hollein described the project as "ambitious" and said the museum has invested about $80 million in renovating and refurbishing the galleries.

New York City contributed $14 million, and the rest came from private donations from around the world.

" The vast majority (of the renovation money) comes from private funds from donors who want to ensure that the Met remains what it is and continues to thrive and invest in its galleries. We're not expanding, but rather making sure that we're showing the art we have here, that we have in our care, in the best possible way, and that we continue to invest not just in scholarship or in the collection, but also in the best ways to show it," Hollein explained.