There is a brand-new reason to look up as you stroll down Fifth Avenue: The Metropolitan Museum of Art has transformed its iconic facade with four monumental sculptures by Beijing-based artist Liu Wei. Titled Speculation, the installation is the newest edition of The Genesis Facade Commission, the museum’s celebrated annual series that invites a contemporary artist to reimagine the niches of its Beaux-Arts entrance.
Each of the four works is named after a fundamental constant of physics — Speculation / Λ, Speculation / G, Speculation / c and Speculation / h — and each is a bold assemblage of architectural fragments and bodily forms crafted from fiberglass composite, steel, aluminum alloy and polyurethane paint, with bovine rawhide woven into one piece. A recurring motif throughout is the human hand, a powerful symbol of making, connection and imagination that bridges the familiar and the fantastical.
The commission marks Liu Wei’s first major presentation in the United States, following solo exhibitions in Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul and Cleveland. Best of all, it is completely free: anyone passing the museum at 1000 Fifth Avenue, at 82nd Street, can enjoy it during visiting hours, no ticket required.
The Genesis Facade Commission: Liu Wei, Speculation is on view from September 17, 2026 through June 8, 2027, joining a celebrated lineage that includes Wangechi Mutu, Hew Locke, Carol Bove, Nairy Baghramian, Lee Bul and Jeffrey Gibson. A perfect excuse for a sunny autumn walk on the Upper East Side.
Photo: Genesis
