in different parts of the world<\/a>. <\/p>\nA building with fins<\/p>\n
Featuring four site-specific installations and two newly purchased public sculptures representing a diversity of contemporary artists, the museum building comprises nine interlocking pavilions. <\/p>\n
Adjaye describes it as \u201ca world within the world of the campus.\u201d <\/p>\n
The facade with its \u201cfins\u201d looks pleated, while the sandblasted granular surface evokes an austere Brutalist character. Its gray aggregate stone and verticality reference the neo-Gothic character of the surrounding academic buildings. <\/p>\n
All sides have doors but there is a main entranceway with a recessed plaza facing the town; it features a visually-arresting site-specific installation. <\/p>\n
Here stands Nick Cave\u2019s Let me kindly introduce myself. They call me MC Prince Brighton, an exuberantly colorful mosaic and mixed media mural that extends on two walls. His monumental Mardi-Gras like-figure wears one of the artist\u2019s signature \u201csoundsuits\u201d to welcome approaching visitors. <\/p>\n
The interior is an unexpected surprise. Steward described it as \u201ca kind of town square in which we can all find ourselves, in pursuit of knowledge, comfort, joy, and even provocation.\u201d <\/p>\n
On the same level, the imposing Grand Hall rises the full height of the building to reveal the structural ingenuity of the architecture. On a recent visit, this flexible space was set up as an inviting lounge, but it can be transformed into a nearly 300-seat auditorium or a black box theater. <\/p>\n
A historic collection<\/p>\n
The university has been collecting artworks since 1755. <\/p>\n
Early holdings, including a portrait of King George II, were destroyed during the Battle of Princeton in 1777. Acquiring works was resumed in 1783 when a portrait of George Washington by Charles Willson Peale was commissioned by the trustees. <\/p>\n
Peale painted the Revolutionary War hero while in Princeton. Washington was so pleased by his full-length image that he decided to pay the artist and gifted the canvas to the school, beginning a legacy of philanthropic donations to the museum. It now hangs in the original gilded frame of the lost King George II portrait, and is a formidable introduction to the museum\u2019s Wilmerding Pavilion of American Art.<\/p>\n
Unlike the hodgepodge arrangement of galleries in the former museum building, works from the expansive collection are now mostly displayed on the second level. <\/p>\n
Inaugural art<\/p>\n
The museum is currently showing about 7,000 objects from its holdings, three times what had been previously possible. \u201cGalleries have been curated to invite dialogue and discovery,\u201d said Juliana Ochs Dweck, chief curator. The arrangement allows \u201ctalk across cultural borders and chronologies,\u201d added Steward. <\/p>\n
The Welcome Gallery\u2019s inaugural exhibit holds ceramic sculptures by Toshiko Takaezu, who taught at Princeton from 1967-92, and maintained a studio in Quakertown, NJ. <\/p>\n
Before her death in 2011, Takaezu donated about 40 of her pieces to the museum; 15 of these are on view. <\/p>\n
Takaezu\u2019s expressionist glazed sculptural forms are displayed with the works of contemporaries such as Peter Voulkos and Helen Frankenthaler. An exquisite handmade bench (one of two that were commissioned using repurposed wood from trees that were taken down during construction) by Mira Nakashima, of New Hope, is appropriately placed here. <\/p>\n
Two temporary exhibition galleries celebrate \u201cPrinceton Collects,\u201d a selection of about 150 works from the nearly 2000 varied artworks given by donors on the occasion of the new museum. <\/p>\n
Works on paper, including photography, are exclusively presented in the smaller of these two areas. The donated or promised works fill crucial gaps strengthening the collection across many cultures and styles.<\/p>\n
To facilitate contemplation, a dozen gray minimalist benches designed by Adjaye are situated around the galleries. <\/p>\n
Art from home and the world<\/p>\n
The second level also has two interior commissioned site-specific works. <\/p>\n
One, by Philadelphian Jane Irish, gives a local artistic presence to the new museum. Irish\u2019s Cosmos Beyond Atrocity is mounted on the ceiling of a viewing room that has the feel of an intimate tree house. <\/p>\n
This installation brings to mind illusionistic Renaissance and Baroque ceiling paintings. (Its large-scale study is currently on view at Locks Gallery on Washington Square until Nov. 15). <\/p>\n
The bas reliefs depict violent acts that reference dozens of works from the museum\u2019s collection as well as lamps from ancient Turkey excavated decades ago by a Princeton-led team. <\/p>\n
The central upraised arm holds a Vietnamese finger cymbal; the artist says it \u201csuggests a \u2018ding\u2019 reverberating.\u201d <\/p>\n
A kinetic sculpture, Naga, by Ho Chi Minh City artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen, hangs on the north side and is a direct homage to Philadelphia native Alexander Calder, who was a vocal critic of the Vietnam War. <\/p>\n
The polished metal plates are made from unexploded ordinances and artillery shells that Nguyen sourced at a heavily bombed area of Vietnam. When the work moves, the mallets produce a therapeutic tone that has been used to treat veterans suffering from PTSD.<\/p>\n
While the generosity of fundraising and gift giving by alumni affirms Princetonian pride, their philanthropy enables everyone to \u2014 as the museum tagline asserts \u2014 \u201cFind Yourself Here.\u201d <\/p>\n
Thinking about his recently completed design, Adjaye acknowledged: \u201cI\u2019m super curious to see how people will react to it. That, for me, is the joy. That\u2019s the success of a museum.\u201d <\/p>\n
Princeton University Art Museum, Elm Drive, Princeton, NJ. Mon.\u2013Wed. 10 a.m.\u20135 p.m., Thurs.\u2013Fri.10 a.m.\u20138 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.\u20135 p.m., Sun. 12\u20135 p.m. Free. artmuseum.princeton.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After years of planning, Princeton University, the nation\u2019s fourth oldest college, is making a bold 70-foot-high statement about…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":110560,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[437,434,435,436,438,146,85,46,71719],"class_list":["post-110559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-new-princeton-university-art-museum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}