Met's modern and contemporary art outpost set to open

NEW YORK (AP) — The Metropolitan Museum of Art throws open the doors to its new modern and contemporary art outpost, The Met Breuer, this month with an exhibition that places the works in the historical context of its rich encyclopedic collection.

The new space, a short walk from the Met's Fifth Avenue headquarters, is housed in the Marcel Breuer-designed building that was the longtime home of the Whitney Museum of American Art, before it moved downtown last year.

The restored Bauhaus-style building on Madison Avenue opens to the public on March 18, giving the Met 29,000-square-feet of space for displaying and expanding its 12,000-work collection of 20th and 21st century art.

Thoughts Left Visible,' is a perfect example of what they can do that other museums are unlikely and certainly cannot do to the depth that the Met can, said Bruce Altshuler, professor of museum studies at New York University.

New York City is already rich in cultural institutions with stellar contemporary and modern art holdings including the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim and the Whitney.