The Met Sets Late August Reopening Date

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Metropolitan Museum of Art has set a planned reopening date in late August for its main Fifth Avenue location, according to a spokesperson for the museum.

The Met is planning to reopen on Aug. 29 after a five-month shutdown in accordance with city and state social distancing regulations enacted to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, a museum spokesperson said. The museum first announced in May that it was targeting August for its reopening, but did not set an exact date.

"The safety of our staff and visitors remains our greatest concern. We are eagerly awaiting our reopening as, perhaps now more than ever, the Museum can serve as a reminder of the power of the human spirit and the capacity of art to bring comfort, inspire resilience, and help us better understand each other and the world around us," Met's President and CEO Daniel H. Weiss said in a statement.

The New York Times first reported news of the Met's planned reopening date.

A late August reopening date gives the Met some leeway when it comes to state reopening regulations. New York City became the final region in the state to begin its economic recovery from the coronavirus this month. If the city meets state benchmarks for infection rates, open hospital beds and testing and tracing capabilities it could enter "phase four" of its reopening in late July. Museums fall under the industries allowed to reopen in phase four.

The Met closed its main Fifth Avenue museum, its Met Breuer location and the Met Cloisters in Washington Heights starting March 13. Museum officials have estimated that the arts institution could lose as much as $100 million because of the coronavirus pandemic. A reopening date for the Met Cloisters has not been set, and the Met Breuer is changing ownership in July.

The museum's reopening will coincide with the debut of exhibits such as "Making The Met, 1870-2020," and the museum's annual roof garden exhibit "Héctor Zamora, Lattice Detour," museum officials said. This year's Met Gala will be canceled, but the exhibit "About Time: Fashion and Duration" will debut in October.