‘A Flintstone cave made by pranksters’: New York’s audacious new museum wing

Some museums have more personality than others and the American Museum of Natural History has never had trouble attracting attention. Packed with rare specimens, organic samples and glittering minerals, as well as some uncannily lifelike animal and human models, the New York institution has long featured in urban legend, as well as on the big screen.

So this week – despite the fact that the Metropolitan Museum, its larger, arty sister directly across Central Park, is to hold its glitzy annual gala on Monday – the AMNH will still be competing for headlines. After nine years of planning, a pandemic and $465m (£370m) spent, the museum opens an audacious new building on Thursday – the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation.

So far, architecture critic has likened its interior to “a canyon”, predicting it will become “a colossal attraction”. However, others have queried the value of such a costly, odd newcomer.