纽约现代艺术馆重新向世人开放英语美文
New York"s MoMA gallery re-opens
自1929年纽约现代艺术馆在纽约曼哈顿建立以来，已经有近10万幅绘画、雕塑、实物、造型设计等作品在那里安了家。这个有着75年历史的博物馆为了收藏更多的艺术精品，花费了四亿两千五百万美元，用了将近三年的时间进行重新修缮。在众多艺术爱好者的期盼下，昨天它终于重新开馆了。
Thousands queued for the museum"s first day (Agencies)
New York"s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has opened its doors to the public once again after a $425m revamp.
The dramatic new building, designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, is the new home for works of art by Picasso, Matisse, Andy Warhol, Van Gogh and Jackson Pollock.
Thousands of people queued up outside the gallery to take advantage of free entry on its first day.
Visitors will have to contribute towards the cost of the refurbishment, with entry prices of up to $20.
However, Saturday"s opening day was free, as are Friday evenings thanks to corporate donations .
The first people to enter were New Jersey couple Tad Davis and Susan Vosburgh, who were celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. They were given lifetime membership of the institution.
Others near the end of the line said they expected the wait to be worth it.
"I would rather be at the front, but I wanted to come today because I am poor and can"t afford $20 to get in," said Suzanne Velovic, 61.
Museum director Glenn D Lowry defended the charges, which the New York Times called "appalling and cynical".
"We have endeavoured to balance our financial needs with obligations to run a balanced budget," he said.
Increased insurance fees and other costs also contributed to the increased charges.
The gallery spent two years in a temporary space in nearby Queens while the rebuilding work was carried out.
Taniguchi"s new design doubles the amount of space available to the museum. But it keeps elements of the old site, including its sculpture garden.
On Monday, he told a news conference his work on MoMA could not be judged until the museum was up and running in its new home.
"Museums are like a Japanese teacup," he added.
"It doesn"t speak by itself so much but when you pour the green tea, the contrast becomes so great.
"Like a plate - if you have a very simple plate there"s nothing there but when you start putting all this Japanese food on, it changes."
Vocabulary:
donation: a voluntary gift (as of money or service or ideas) made to some worthwhile cause(捐款，赞助)
