NYU’s Grey Art Gallery, a Downtown Jewel Among NYC’s Art Museums,
Will Move to a Larger Space in Cooper Square, East Village
The Grey Art Gallery, New York University’s widely admired fine arts museum, will move to larger quarters at 18 Cooper Square from its current location on Washington Square East. The move is due, in part, to a major gift from Dr. James Cottrell and Mr. Joseph Lovett, which was announced a year ago.
While the Grey had previously been planning to undertake renovations, the gift has allowed the gallery to embark upon a more ambitious plan, which includes construction of new facilities—designed by Ennead Architects—that will highlight the importance of the arts on campus and reshape the visitor experience for all audiences. In addition to ground floor galleries, the new location will house the Cottrell-Lovett Study Center and expanded art storage on the lower level.
“Ennead has a long relationship with NYU which we are proud to continue with this important project,” said Ennead Architects Partner Molly McGowan AIA. “As a cultural institution, the Grey Art Gallery has enormous reach and we are excited to deliver a design that will further open the gallery to new audiences and facilitate new experiences.”
“With its impressive curation and collection, the Grey Art Gallery has always had a presence in the art world that far exceeds its size. The newly designed space, significantly larger and more accessible, will be commensurate with their vision and more supportive of their mission. It will meaningfully engage not only with NYU’s arts programs in the building but the surrounding arts community,” said designer Richard Olcott FAIA, Partner at Ennead Architects.