The Whitney’s Marcel Breuer–designed building is as much a part of the attraction as the art that it houses. And when the museum abandons the building for its new location on Gansevoort Street in 2015, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is hoping to take over the spot. The two entities are pursuing an agreement that would allow the Met to occupy the Breuer building for at least eight years. It’s unlikely that art currently on display at the Met will be moved out into the Whitney building. Instead, explained director Thomas P. Campbell, “I see the Breuer building as a laboratory, a place where we can be more creative in our programming without physical limitations. This gives us the opportunity to work across department boundaries to do what other museums cannot.” As a part of the agreement, all site-specific works would remain intact, and the Met would have the opportunity to renew the agreement in 2023.
