The Met’s collections of the arts of Africa, the ancient Americas, and Oceania, returned in May 2025 in a reimagined Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Following a multiyear renovation, the three major collections—spanning five continents and hundreds of cultures - now stand as independent entities.
The elegant "BASALTITE® stone portals" at The Met's Michael C. Rockefeller Wing refer to immersive, architectural entryways. Designed by WHY Architecture, these large stone portals were created to give visitors a distinct "sense of place" and cultural identity when moving between the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Ancient Americas.
Each Basaltite® stone portals was fabricated from one unique block in order to give perfect uniformity of the single unit.
The stone portals reach the exceptional length of over 3 meter: BASALTITE® SRL is proud to be the unique Basalt quarry all over the world able to provide such big slabs sizes.
The Basaltite® stone portals have been fabricated and pre-installed at internal factory in classic filled + honed surface for Designer inspection before being shipped to job site.
The AAOA (Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas) section at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) features large, sweeping BASALTITE® stone portals. These architectural passageways connect the redesigned Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. The massive renovation - designed by architect Kulapat Yantrasast - features soaring stone thresholds linking sub-Saharan African, ancient American, and Oceanic art collections.
The MET – Metropolitan Museum - 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028, USA
Michael C. Rockefeller Wing : AAOA (Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas) Section
Designer: WHY Architecture
