Putnam Collection of Sculpture, Princeton University

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The John B. Putnam, Jr. Memorial Collection of Sculpture is a group of outdoor sculptures distributed through the Princeton University campus in Princeton, New Jersey. The collection is made up of works from 20th and 21st century sculptors. [1] In March 1968, President Robert Goheen announced that an anonymous donor gave a $1 million fund for the collection in honor of Princeton alumni John B. Putnam, Jr., Lieutenant U.S.A, who was killed in action during World War II. [2] [3] In 2025, this anonymous donor was revealed to be John's brother and fellow Princeton alum, the physicist, neuropsychologist and philosopher Peter Putnam. [4] The works were selected based on a committee of alumni who are current or former directors of art museums, [3] and the first 20 were purchased in 1969 and 1970. [5]

Contents

The collection was first designed to have only 20 sculptures, [5] but after receiving George Segal's Abraham and Issac, in 1979, the total catalogue increased to 21. [6] The Princeton University Art Museum describes the collection as "not a static phenomenon" and that "work is underway to identify and purchase or commission works by artists." [1]

List of sculptures

Original twenty

The following is the twenty original sculptures before later ones were added. [5]

Name of PieceArtistExecutedInstalledMaterialLocationImageReferences
Atmosphere and Environment X Louise Nevelson 1969–19701971Cor-Ten steelBetween Nassau Street and Firestone Library
"Atmosphere and Environment X" by Louise Nevelson.jpg
[7] [8]
Construction in the Third and Fourth Dimension Antoine Pevsner 1961–19621972Cast bronzeCourtyard of Jadwin Hall Construction in the Third and Fourth Dimension.jpg [9] [10]
Cubi XIII David Smith 19631969Stainless steelBetween McCormick Hall and Whig Hall
Cubi XIII by David Smith.jpg
[11] [12]
Five Disks: One Empty Alexander Calder 1969–19701971Painted mild steelFine Hall Plaza Five DIsks One Empty.jpg [13] [14]
Floating Figure Gaston Lachaise 19271969Cast bronzeCompton Court, Graduate College
"Floating Figure" by Gaston Lachaise.jpg
[15] [16]
Head of a WomanDesigned by Pablo Picasso; executed by Carl Nesjar 1971 [a] 1971Cast concrete, granite, and quartziteLocated on the lawn between Spelman Halls and New South Building
Princeton University Museum.jpg
[17] [18]
Marok-Marok-Miosa Eduardo Paolozzi 19651969Welded aluminumStairwell of the Architecture Building Marok-Marok-Miosa.jpg [19] [20]
Mastodon VIMichael Hall19681969Bronze and aluminumCourtyard of MacMillan Building [21] [22]
Moses Tony Smith 1967–19681969 [b] Painted mild steelLawn in front of Prospect House
Princeton University Prospect sculp.jpg
[23] [24]
Northwood II Kenneth Snelson 19701973Stainless steelEast Dormitory Courtyard of the Graduate College Northwood II.jpg [25] [26]
Oval with Points Henry Moore 1969–701971BronzeBetween Stanhope Hall and Morrison Hall Oval with Points 2021.jpg [27] [28]
Professor Albert Einstein Sir Jacob Epstein 19331970Cast bronzeFine Hall Library [29] [30]
Song of the Vowels Jacques Lipchitz 1969 [c] 1969Cast bronzeBetween Firestone Library and the University Chapel Song of the Vowels.jpg [31] [32]
Sphere VI Arnaldo Pomodoro 19661969Polished bronzeEntrance of Fine Hall Library [d] Sphere VI by Arnaldo Pomodoro.jpg [33] [34]
Spheric Theme Naum Gabo 1973–19741974Stainless steelCourtyard of the Engineering Quadrangle Spheric Theme.jpg [35] [36]
Stone Riddle Masayuki Nagare 19671972Black graniteCourtyard of Engineering Quadrangle Stone Riddle.jpg [37] [38]
The Bride Reg Butler 1956–19611970Cast bronzeCourtyard of Rockefeller College The Bride Sculpture.jpg [39] [40]
Two Planes Vertical Horizontal II George Rickey 19701972Stainless steelBetween East Pyne Hall and the University Chapel Two Planes Vertical Horizontal II.jpg [41] [42]
Upstart II Clement Meadmore 19701973Cor-Ten steelEntrance to the Engineering Quadrangle Upstart II, Princeton Sculpture.jpg [43] [44]
White Sun Isamu Noguchi 19661970Saravezza marbleLobby of Firestone Library White Sun Sculpture.jpg [45] [46]

Official additions

Once the initial collection was finished, the university received George Segal's Abraham and Issac as a gift in 1979. [6] The piece was commissioned for Kent State University in memorial of the 1970 Kent State shootings, but it was deemed too provocative. [47] [48] Segal subsequently donated it to Princeton as it was where he taught sculpture, [48] and it was installed in 1979. [49] The university would continue to receive additional sculptures through purchasing, continued support by the Putnam family through the Mildred Andrews Fund, or as gifts from artists; however, only Segal's work was included in the collection. [6]

Name of PieceArtistExecutedInstalledMaterialLocationImageReferences
Abraham and Isaac: In Memory of May 4, 1970, Kent State University George Segal 1978–19791979Cast bronzeBetween Firestone Library and the University Chapel Abraham and Isaac Princeton Statue.jpg [49] [50] [3]

Unofficial additions

The Princeton University Art Museum classifies several other pieces of artwork as falling under either the collection, although no reference to them as official additions can be found. [e] Additionally, while the art museum's map on the Putnam Collection labels Scott Burton's Public Table as part of the collection, [51] [f] no official publication nor the listing on the art museum's website considers it an official component. [52] [53]

Name of PieceArtistExecutedInstalledMaterialLocationImageReferences
Einstein's Table Maya Lin 20192019Jet Mist GraniteLewis Arts Complex [54] [55]
The Princeton Line Maya Lin 20182018Earth drawingLewis Arts Complex The Princeton Line.jpg [56] [55]
URODA Ursula von Rydingsvard 20152015Copper, steel, bronzeEntrance to the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment [57]

Putnam funding

Several works on campus, while not part of the collection, have received funding from either the Mildred Andrews Fund, like Scott Burton's Public Table, [53] or the John B. Putnam Jr. Memorial Fund, like Doug and Mike Starn's (Any) Body Oddly Propped. [58]

Notes

  1. ↑ Designed in 1962
  2. ↑ The piece was fabricated and installed during the same year.
  3. ↑ Designed in 1931–1932
  4. ↑ Previously located at the courtyard formed by Lourie-Love Hall and 1922, 1940, 1941, and 1942 dormitories
  5. ↑ More specifically, with the most recent literature on the collection being published before the latest additions, it is unclear if the pieces are a part of the official catalogue.
  6. ↑ The map also includes Maya Lin's Einstein's Table and The Princeton Line, while forgetting Sir Jacob Epstein's Professor Albert Einstein, David Smith's Cubi XIII, and Michael Hall's Mastodon VI.

References

  1. 1 2 "Campus Collections". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  2. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 12.
  3. 1 2 3 Kiefer-Roulet, Evelyn (September 1, 2008). "The John and Mildred Putnam Sculpture Collection Patronage and the Role of a Campus Sculpture Collection". Collections. 4 (3): 266. doi: 10.1177/155019060800400307 . ISSN   1550-1906.
  4. ↑ Gefter, Amanda (June 17, 2025). "Finding Peter Putnam". Nautilus. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Leitch 1978, p. 397–398.
  6. 1 2 3 Kelleher 1982, p. 8.
  7. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 76.
  8. ↑ "Atmosphere and Environment X (y1969-18)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Construction in the Third and Fourth Dimension (y1969-130)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  10. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 88.
  11. ↑ "Cubi XIII (y1969-19)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  12. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 108.
  13. ↑ "Five Disks: One Empty (y1969-126)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  14. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 40.
  15. ↑ "Floating Figure (y1969-72)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  16. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 56.
  17. ↑ "Head of a Woman (y1969-131)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  18. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 92–93.
  19. ↑ "Marok-Marok-Miosa (y1969-21)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  20. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 84.
  21. ↑ "Mastodon VI (y1969-81)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  22. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 52.
  23. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 112.
  24. ↑ "Moses (y1969-104)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  25. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 116.
  26. ↑ "Northwood II (y1969-16)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  27. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 68.
  28. ↑ "Oval with Points (y1969-128)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Professor Albert Einstein (y1970-115)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  30. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 44.
  31. ↑ "Song of the Vowels (y1969-22)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  32. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 60.
  33. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 96.
  34. ↑ "Sphere VI (y1969-20)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Spheric Theme (y1974-85)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  36. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 48.
  37. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 72.
  38. ↑ "Stone Riddle (y1972-41)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  39. ↑ "The Bride (y1969-127)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  40. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 36.
  41. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 100.
  42. ↑ "Two Planes Vertical Horizontal II (y1972-42)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Upstart II (y1971-13)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  44. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 64.
  45. ↑ "White Sun (y1969-129)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  46. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 80.
  47. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 104–105.
  48. 1 2 Burgess, Daniel (November 20, 2019). "Art in the bubble: 'Abraham and Isaac'". The Daily Princetonian . Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  49. 1 2 Kelleher 1982, p. 104.
  50. ↑ "Abraham and Isaac: In Memory of May 4, 1970, Kent State University (y1978-49)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  51. ↑ "Putnam Collection". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  52. ↑ Kelleher 1982, p. 35.
  53. 1 2 "Public Table". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  54. ↑ "Einstein's Table (2019-238)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  55. 1 2 Spike, Carlett (December 4, 2019). "On the Campus: Maya Lin's 'The Princeton Line' and 'Einstein's Table'". Princeton Alumni Weekly . Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  56. ↑ "The Princeton Line (2018-88)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  57. ↑ "URODA (2015-6739)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  58. ↑ "(Any) Body Oddly Propped (2015-6737)". Princeton University Art Museum. Princeton University. Retrieved July 27, 2021.

Bibliography

Works cited

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