After a five-year closure and complete reconstruction, Princeton University Art Museum has officially reopened its doors to the public, marking a significant milestone for the Ivy League institution. The museum welcomed visitors on Halloween with a 24-hour celebration, featuring spookily costumed college students and community members exploring the newly expanded facility. James Steward, the museum's longtime director, expressed his emotions about the rare opportunity, telling reporters that opening a new museum from the ground up happens "once every 100 years" in a career.
The reconstruction project began planning in 2012 as the museum had outgrown its original space despite serving the campus community since 1882. With more than 117,000 art objects and artifacts in its collection, the institution needed a larger facility to properly display its extensive holdings. The new building doubles the museum's footprint while quadrupling its gallery spaces, providing much-needed room for the growing collection.
Funding for the project came from a combination of private donations and university support, with Steward and his staff raising two-thirds of the total budget while Princeton University contributed the remainder. Although Steward declined to reveal the exact amount, he acknowledged the institution was fortunate to secure funding given the financial challenges facing higher education institutions.
The architectural design was initially led by British-Ghanaian architect David Adjaye, who was selected to create the new building while the original structure closed during the pandemic and was demolished in 2021. However, Cooper Robertson architects took over day-to-day operations of the rebuild after Adjaye faced sexual misconduct allegations from three former employees in 2023.
The resulting structure is a 146,000-square-foot compound featuring a Brutalist architectural style. Despite its boxy design, the building blends seamlessly with Princeton's collegiate Gothic campus through its use of sand-blasted stone aggregate, bronze, and reclaimed laminated wood materials. The facility consists of nine interlocking pavilions that create a circular flow between galleries, encouraging visitors to make unexpected discoveries.
As visitors approach the museum, they are greeted by several newly commissioned sculptures, including a prominent large-scale mosaic by artist Nick Cave positioned on a wall near the main entrance. Once inside, guests are drawn to ascend the dramatic main staircase leading to the second floor, where more than 90 of the museum's displayed artworks await viewing.
The museum's innovative design creates what Steward describes as "happy accidents" in art appreciation, where visitors might notice connections between seemingly unrelated pieces. For example, guests might observe the relationship between one of Cave's soundsuits, a Samurai warrior's outfit, and a West African shield, all representing different modes of self-protection according to Steward's interpretation.
Despite its substantial size, the museum maintains an intimate viewing experience that feels deceptively manageable. The European collection features impressive works including an example of Monet's Water Lilies series, which visitors can observe closely without the crowds typically found at major institutions like the Musée de l'Orangerie or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Steward admitted this piece ranks high on his personal favorites list, though he's "not allowed to say" he has preferences.
The modern and contemporary art sections showcase extensive collections featuring significant works such as Andy Warhol's 1962 "Blue Marilyn," an early example of the Pop artist's exploration of celebrity culture and screenprinting techniques. The American wing presents a thoughtfully curated mix of 18th and 19th-century portraits interspersed with contemporary works that address America's complex legacy of slavery and colonization.
Two additional gallery spaces feature an eclectic selection from the 2,000 works donated by Princeton alumni since 2021. These donations include notable pieces such as one of Sean Scully's largest paintings, a porcelain cube by renowned artist Ai Weiwei, and Becky Suss's intimate painting "August, 2016."
Among all the collections, the ceramics particularly stand out for their quality and diversity. On the second floor, visitors can view Roberto Lugo's clever contemporary piece "The Man Who Carried the Ice Box on his Back up the Mountain: Alberto Ayala" from 2023. This facsimile of an Ancient Greek stoneware vase depicts scenes from Lugo's youth in Puerto Rico on one side and his experiences as a trash collector in Philadelphia on the other.
The first-floor gallery will feature stoneware sculptures by Toshiko Takaezu, a former Princeton visual arts professor who passed away in 2011, for a nine-month exhibition period. Throughout the fall, several of her former students and colleagues will return to lead discussions about her artistic contributions and influence.
Steward emphasized that the museum's design philosophy encourages exploration without pressure, stating that visitors "can't get lost" while navigating the space. The goal is for people to become "productively lost and make journeys you didn't intend to make," discovering unexpected connections and insights through their personal exploration of the collections. This approach reflects the museum's commitment to providing an accessible yet enriching cultural experience for both the university community and the general public.
