Tickets for the 2011 Museum Gala--East Meets Fête--are still available, but going fast! Drawing inspiration from one of the Museum's recent acquisitions--an exquisite Korean celadon ewer--and celebrating the Museum's extraordinary Asian collections, this is a night of festivities not to be missed. Presented by the Friends of the Princeton University Art Museum, the Gala is more than just a great party--all proceeds support the Museum's vibrant education and outreach programs. To request tickets online, click here; to learn more, please contact Jennifer Fekete-Donners, manager of membership and annual support, at (609) 258-3762 or friends@princeton.edu.

New Exhibition

Midcentury

On view through February 20

Frantz Galleries

Doubling in size for its final month, this exhibition showcases the 1940s and 1950s, when both figural and abstract art began to reflect an emerging view of nature as a primal force and of the artist as a living lens, through whom aspects of the larger universe (harmony, conflict, complexity) came into focus. The twenty new photographs and drawings on view include works by Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Peter Blume, Charles Burchfield, Roberto Matta, Herbert Matter, and others.

New on View

Visitors this winter will enjoy a fresh selection of works on paper in the nineteenth-century galleries, including a cluster of pieces devoted to Pointillism and the young Henri Matisse. In the mid-1880s, Georges Seurat (1859-1891) revolutionized French art with his pointillist technique--tiny brushstrokes of pure contrasting colors that produced a luminous optical mixture when viewed from a distance. Seurat's theories were propagated by numerous protégés, such as Paul Signac (1863-1935) and Hippolyte Petitjean (1854-1929) who are featured in the new selection of rarely seen masterworks.

A New Look for the Earlier European Galleries

The Museum's galleries of early European art--from the thirteenth through the eighteenth century--reopen February 1 with a new selection of works encompassing a lively mix of media, including painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts.  New wall colors, redesigned casework, interpretive object labels for every work of art on view, and provocative juxtapositions--including the incorporation of works of ancient Roman art to elucidate the ways in which Renaissance masters rediscovered the art of the ancient Mediterranean--will spark the rediscovery of old favorites, such as Guido da Siena's Annunciation (1270s) or Abraham Bloemaert's Four Evangelists (1612-15), as well as recently acquired treasures, such as Angelica Kauffmann's Portrait of Sarah Harrop (Mrs. Bates) as a Muse (1780-81).

Community Connections

More than 10,000 schoolchildren visit the Princeton University Art Museum each year. Guided by our knowledgeable and dedicated docents, students in Pre-K through 12th grade experience the Museum's collections in ways that are customized to their ages. The Museum's education staff works with teachers from throughout the region to develop tours tailored to their curriculum and their classroom-based activities, providing resources for teachers to prepare their students before they visit and suggesting follow-up activities to deepen their time in the Museum. School groups visit free of charge, and we regularly hear from teachers about what an invaluable education experience their visit affords, especially during challenging economic times.

Teachers interested in scheduling a visit should consult our online scheduling calendar or contact Brice Batchelor-Hall, manager of school, family, and community programs at docent@princeton.edu, or (609) 258-3043.

Korean, Koryo dynasty, 918-1392: Celadon Ewer with Lotus Flower Design, 12th century. Stoneware with underglaze relief and incised designs, h. 20.5 cm., diam. 18 cm. Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund (2010-81). Photo by Bruce M. White.

Ruth Bernhard, American, born in Germany, 1905-2006: 8th Street Movie Theater II, 1946. Gelatin silver print, 23 x 19 cm. Bequest of Ruth Bernhard (2008-578). © Trustees of Princeton University.

Hippolyte Petitjean, French, 1854-1929: Study of Waves, ca. 1895. Watercolor on buff wove paper, 20.2 x 35.2 cm. Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund (2009-40).

3D sketch by Lever Studios with the Princeton University Art Museum.

Docent leading a school group in the galleries for European art of the late eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries.

Reproduction of all images is prohibited by copyright laws and international conventions without the written permission from the copyright holder. © 2011 Princeton University Art Museum