Earlier this month, TIME Magazine recognized the recently-opened art museum in its World’s Greatest Places of 2026 list, naming it as one of the top “Places to Visit” in North America. “To be recognized as a worthy destination on a global scale is a lovely tribute to platforming those goals in a building that is receiving worldwide acclaim,” Princeton University Art Museum Director James Steward wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian.
Selection for the World’s Greatest Places list is chosen based on “correspondents and contributors, as well as through an application process.” Part of this process is choosing spaces that offer “new, exciting, and relevant experiences.”
Laura Dannen Redman of TIME, the reporter who reviewed the Princeton University Art Museum (PUAM), noted the wide range of art housed within the museum and praised the building’s architecture, which she characterized as a “striking mix of classic and contemporary spaces.”
“Princeton University punched well above its weight class,” Redman wrote regarding the museum, adding that she believes it is “poised to become a landmark museum.”
The museum was designed by architect David Adjaye, whose work has been recognized by the late Queen Elizabeth II and former U.S. president Barack Obama. While he had initially been praised for the design of PUAM, most ties between the University and Adjaye, including those regarding the museum, have been scrubbed in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations that surfaced in 2023.
However, the art museum is not the only Adjaye-designed building to win a spot on TIME’s 2026 greatest places list. The Studio Museum in Harlem was also named, recognized for its function “as both an archive and incubator for Black artists and Black culture.”
The museum’s historic re-opening occurred last semester after five years of closure. A 24-hour open house on Oct. 31 brought over 20,000 visitors, with activities such as live performances, art making, and sky gazing.
Steward expressed his belief to the ‘Prince’ that the art museum has already made a significant impact on the University and its surrounding community. He explained that many visitors have expressed praise for the museum over the past five months.
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More important than the worldwide acclaim that the museum is receiving, Steward wrote, “are the words we hear every day from some of the 210,000 visitors who have come to us in our first four months — students, faculty, community members, visitors from all over the globe — telling us what a difference the museum is making in their work and their lives, especially in such a dark time.”
As a space dedicated to research, exhibition, and education, the museum has achieved its threefold purpose, according to Steward, while also being recognized worldwide as a space of positive tourism.
These purposes, Steward told the ‘Prince,’ were “first and foremost to be able to meet the teaching and research needs of our students and our faculty;” “to make possible fuller access to Princeton’s extraordinary art collections;” and “to be a generator of new research and new ideas.”
Talia Goldman ’27, president of the Museum’s Student Advisory Board, also positively acknowledged the recognition that TIME’s listing provides.
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“It has been especially wonderful to see students engaging with the Museum’s astounding collections and exciting programming, highlighting the power of art on campus,” Goldman noted. “TIME’s recognition of the Museum is a testament to the vibrancy of the space and each visitor and work of art that enlivens it.”
The museum, which is free to all, is open Monday to Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday; and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Shaun Karani is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
