The Princeton University Art Museum is set to unveil its new 146,000-sq.-ft facility on 31 October, doubling its previous space. Celebrations will include a 24-hour community open house with various activities. Designed by Adjaye Associates and Cooper Robertson, the building features striking materials and improved lighting compared to its predecessor. The opening celebration aims to showcase the museum's capacity to engage the public. Despite recent controversies surrounding lead architect David Adjaye, the project's design is receiving praise, particularly for how it enhances the visitor experience and the artwork displayed.
"This will be an opportunity for us to show everything the building has the capacity to do," James Steward, director of the museum, tells The Art Newspaper of the opening celebration.
"There's a materiality to our new building that's really important," Steward says. "It's truly a project of form following function, built from the inside out and amplifying the art inside."
Steward praises the work of David Adjaye, the project's lead design architect, despite the sexual-assault accusations against him that came to light in 2023.
Steward notes that the daylight in the new space is an especially welcome change from the dark interior of the museum's old building.
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