APRIL The Phillips Collection unveiled its latest expansion, the Sant Building, featuring a couple of galleries that finally have ceilings tall enough to do justice to some of the big-shouldered postwar paintings in the museum's permanent collection. The handsome, 180-seat theater was sorely needed, too.

JMW Turner's Giudecca, La Donna della Salute and San Giorgio set a new record auction price for a UK artist in April, selling for $35.8m (£20.5m). The Metropolitan Museum of Art presented the Warriors of the Himalayas: Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet exhibition. The show was the first comprehensive study of armor, weapons, and equestrian equipment from the Tibetan plateau, a subject that has remained virtually unexplored until now. Many rare or previously unknown examples of helmets, body armor, swords, horse armor, saddles, and stirrups were exhibited and published here for the first time. Dating from the 13th to the 20th century, these objects included some of the finest examples of Himalayan ironwork embellished with gold and silver and extremely rare decorated leatherwork.

Under the direction of the Board of Trustees of The Morgan Library & Museum, the Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano developed a comprehensive plan to expand and better integrate the campus of the Morgan. The New York–based Beyer Blinder Belle was the local architectural firm for the project.

The Morgan experience is inseparable from its architecture. The scale and elegance of the 1906 Charles McKim–designed library, the 1928 Annex, and the nineteenth-century Morgan house impart richness to the setting and a tangible connection to old New York.

Renzo Piano's answer to the Morgan's contemporary demands for space restored this architecture to its former prominence. His design integrates three new structures into the site. Constructed of glass and steel and scaled to the historic buildings, the modern structures defer to the traditional architecture. In addition the modern and historic buildings are joined with glass interstices, providing clear sight lines directly into the center of the campus. A very important aspect of Piano's design is that much of the new space will be created underground. This made it possible to expand the Morgan by about one third, without exceeding the height of neighboring structures or compromising the neighborhood's scale.

The new, larger Madison Avenue entrance leads into a large central court from which all other museum and library activities will radiate. New landscaping surrounding the Morgan enhances the fully enclosed, parklike setting.

New galleries and interpretive installations create more opportunities for adults, families, and schoolchildren to participate in programs devoted exclusively to the permanent collections. Other galleries provide more space for the presentation of major loan exhibitions. This new exhibition space is located in both the new structure and the 1928 Annex.

The completion of a new auditorium enables the Morgan to continue to present quality musical arts programs, dramatic readings, lectures, and other live performances.

The Reading Room occupies a naturally lit space crowning the new Madison Avenue building. Outfitted with complete electronic services and many more workstations, the Reading Room is able to meet the needs of researchers well into the twenty-first century.

Ample new space for collections storage is an essential component of the scheme. A new book shop, a café, and a small restaurant are also integrated into Piano's plan for the Morgan.