Architecture firm OMA has revealed plans to reconfigure and update the New York galleries of auction house Sotheby's.
OMA partner Shohei Shigematsu is leading renovation and expansion of the international house's headquarters on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Once complete, there will be a total 40 galleries set over the four floors. Shigematsu has designed these as varying sizes and shapes to suit artworks of any scale, with the smallest measuring 350 square feet (33 square metres).

Included in the scheme are three, 20-foot-high (six-metre) spaces for larger works; a 150-foot-long (46-metre) Grand Gallery ? designed to exhibit a full collection; and a suite of L-shaped galleries to present smaller pieces and paper works.
"The new headquarters is designed for openness and discovery ? all public facing programmes are shifted to lower levels, unlocking the public potential of the building," the architect said.

Other spaces include The Enfilade Galleries ? four galleries of exactly the same size set side-by-side ? and "domestically scaled" areas for furniture, design and collections.

"Taking inspiration from countless institutions around the world, we sought to create the best possible conditions for showcasing great works of art, no matter what size, style, or period, as well as to accommodate a variety of sales and exhibitions concurrently," said Allan Schwartzman, chairman of Sotheby's Fine Art Division.
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