The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Neue Galerie New York Announce Landmark Merger Plans

Two of New York’s most celebrated cultural institutions are preparing to unite in a historic move that will reshape the future of Austrian and German modern art in the United States. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Neue Galerie New York announced plans Thursday for a landmark merger agreement that would officially bring the Neue Galerie under The Met’s ownership in 2028.

Timed to coincide with the Neue Galerie’s 25th anniversary, the agreement would preserve the museum’s celebrated identity while integrating its world-renowned collection into The Met’s broader institutional framework. Once finalized, the museum would be renamed the “The Met Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie.”

The merger would unite what officials described as the most significant collection of 20th-century Austrian and German art outside of Europe under a single institution. The Neue Galerie’s holdings include masterpieces by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Max Beckmann, and Gabriele Münter, among others.

Among the collection’s most iconic works is Klimt’s famed Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, widely known as the “Woman in Gold,” which has become synonymous with the Neue Galerie since arriving at the museum in 2006.

The announcement also includes major philanthropic commitments from Ronald S. Lauder and his daughter Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer. The family plans to donate 13 major Austrian and German paintings from their personal collection to the combined institution, further strengthening the museum’s holdings.

Among the promised gifts are Klimt’s Die Tänzerin (The Dancer), Kirchner’s Die Russische Tänzerin Mela (The Russian Dancer Mela), and Beckmann’s Galleria Umberto. Future gifts are expected to include Klimt’s The Black Feather Hat along with works by Otto Dix, George Grosz, and Franz Marc.

“For the past twenty-five years, the Neue Galerie’s exhibitions, permanent collection, design and book shops, and Café Sabarsky have created an experience that transports visitors to another time—early twentieth-century Vienna and Weimar Germany,” said Ronald S. Lauder. “The merger with The Met in 2028 will preserve and strengthen the Neue Galerie’s legacy in perpetuity.”

Lauder also praised Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and CEO, for his leadership and stewardship of cultural heritage.

“Under his direction, The Met continues to stand not only as one of the world’s great museums, but as a steadfast guardian of culture, memory, and identity,” Lauder said. “Through this partnership, we can carry the Neue Galerie forward with distinction.”