Three New Jersey Art Museums

Although often overshadowed by the great museums of New York City and Philadelphia, the art museums of New Jersey have wisely cut out a niche for themselves by concentrating on particular collections. Here are three:of New Jersey's best.

Princeton University Art Museum

The museum is right in the middle of the Princeton campus and is one of the few free museums left in the state. The museum has a stunning glass entranceway. Inside, there is a strong collection of European art, particularly of the 16th to 18th centuries. Many of these were donated by alumni. Among the American art works is Frederic Remington's small bronze "Coming through the Rye" and a portrait of George Washington by Charles Willson Peale. Several rooms are also devoted to contemporary art including the work of Frank Stella.

Downstairs, the large exhibit space is devoted to Japanese netsuke and Chinese decorative pieces. The museum also offers many Greek and Roman antiquities from the university's excavations in Antioch. Their pre-Columbian art, collection ia well known throughout the art world.

To get to the museum you must park outside on Nassau Street or in one of the parking lots and walk into the campus. It is a beautiful campus whose buildings vary from colonial period Nassau Hall to Victorian Gothic oddities to the collegiate Gothic cathedral and library. You will also pass a collection of outdoor sculpture that is scattered around the campus.

Location: Princeton campus, Nassau Street, Princeton.
Telephone: 609-258-3788.
Website: http://www,princetonartmuseum.org

The Zimmerli Art Museum

Part of the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum was recently renovated into a handsome new structure. The entrance now faces the street, so it is easy for visitors as well as students to gain access to the place. The first floor usually has a noteworthy traveling art exhibit on display.

The permanent galleries include a major collection of Russian art. This includes early icons and 19th century landscapes as well as an unusual collection of Soviet poster art. The posters conform to the Stalinist view of heroic art. The Zimmerli is also known for its exhibits of illustrations for children's book as well as a special section devoted to Japonisme.

The admission fee is reasonable and the museum is free on the first Sunday of the month. Sundays are also a good time to visit as there is often a special lecture or concert going on. One time. I happened upon a free concert by a fascinating cellist. Another time, it was a series of lectures by well-known illustrators of popular children's books.

Location: 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick
Telephone: 732-932-7237
Website: www.zimmerlimuseum.rutgers.edu

The Newark Museum

Although the Newark museum is both an art and science museum, it is well known for its American art wing. The galleries cover two floors of the North Wing and being with Colonial paintings and continue through the contemporary scene. Galleries are done by period so the itinerant painters of the early period give way to the more professional artists of the 19th century. There are paintings by John Singer Sargent, Alfred Durant and even an abstract expressionist work by Mark Rothko.

The museum is also noted for its galleries devoted to African-American painters as well as its Tibetan section on the third floor that includes art, artifacts and costumes. A separate wing is devoted to the natural sciences, and there is a small planetarium on the first floor. A gift shop and a lunch buffet in the central court make the museum a pleasant outing. There is a secure parking lot right next to the museum for those who do drive in to the city.

Location: 49 Washington St., Newark
Telephone: 973-596-6550
Website: www.newarkmuseum.org