Leaks Spotted in New Museum Gallery with WangShui Work as NYC Braces for Floods
During flash flooding in New York City, the New Museum experienced a significant water leak on Saturday in a gallery showing work by WangShui, with video showing water pooling on the floor and staff placing buckets under active leaks. The museum said no artwork was harmed and announced it would remain closed on Sunday 7/19 due to the flash flood warning, refunding all ticket holders. The incident comes months after the New Museum’s $82 million expansion—designed by OMA partners Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu—opened to the public in March amid scrutiny over reported unfinished details and construction concerns. The affected installation included WangShui’s monumental oppose the serpent (2024), originally created for the 2024 Venice Biennale; ARTnews sought comment from the artist’s gallery, kurimanzutto.
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This story was covered in Looted Legacies and Flooded Galleries