The Princeton University Art Museum (PUAM) reopened its doors to the public Friday, after an almost six-year hiatus. Its previous home, last updated in 1969, was demolished in 2021 to make room for a new 146,000-square-foot complex, which was designed by Adjaye Associates.

Walking through Princeton University’s historic campus on my way to PUAM, as crisp leaves fell from their branches, I felt transported to the East Coast collegiate quad that an Ivy League like Princeton typically conjures. That sentiment, however, that did not immediately translate when I reached the new PUAM. It’s hard to miss—obtrusive even. I was struck by how modern the building was in contrast to the surrounding older structures. Walking down its steps into the heart of the building felt like entering the belly of the beast, a kind of sepulcher. A 40-foot-tall colorful, abstract mosaic by Nick Cave, made to resemble one of his iconic “Soundsuits” didn’t help much to assuage those somber feelings.

The building itself, featuring nine interlocking modernist pavilions in stone aggregate, has its own knotty history. When allegations of sexual misconduct against David A...