April 6, 2026, 4:56 a.m. ET
- The Princeton University Art Museum was named one of TIME’s World’s Greatest Places of 2026.
- The newly expanded museum nearly doubled its previous size to 146,000 square feet.
- Its collection spans 5,000 years of global art, including works by Monet, Manet, and Rodin.
- The reopening introduced new commissions and acquisitions highlighting women and artists of color.
A cultural destination in Central Jersey’s own backyard has joined rarefied company.
The Princeton University Art Museum has been named one of TIME’s World’s Greatest Places of 2026, landing on a global list that also includes splashy attractions like Miami Beach’s Reefline and Netflix House in Philadelphia.
Each year, TIME compiles its 100-place list by soliciting nominations from its international network of correspondents and contributors, along with public applications. The focus is on destinations offering new, compelling and relevant experiences, from hotels and restaurants to museums, parks and cultural attractions.
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“Princeton University punched well above its weight class with the October 2025 unveiling of its new art museum,” TIME wrote. “At 146,000 square feet with 32 galleries, its footprint is roughly double the exhibition space of Paris’ Picasso Museum.”
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The expanded museum nearly doubles its previous square footage, blending contemporary architecture with bright, immersive galleries designed to enhance the visitor experience.
Home to a collection spanning more than 5,000 years of global art, the museum showcases everything from ancient artifacts to contemporary works, supported by rotating exhibitions and public programs.
Its holdings include works by renowned artists such as Auguste Rodin, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and Wassily Kandinsky, alongside art by North and Latin American artists through the 21st century. The reopening also introduced six new commissions and acquisitions highlighting women and artists of color.
Go: 45 Elm Drive, Princeton; artmuseum.princeton.edu.
Staff reporter Jenna Intersimone: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
