Zimmerli Art Museum
The Zimmerli Art Museum is one of the largest and most distiguished university-based museums in the country. It collects, preserves, researches, and exhibits world-class works of art to provide the university community and diverse regional, national, international audiences with direct experience of the visual arts. Scholarly activities make art accessible through exhibitions, publications, and educational programs.
Founded in 1966 as the Rutgers University Art Gallery, the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum was established in 1983 in response to the growth of the permanent collection. The major benefactors for the construction of the museum were Ralph and Alan Voorhees, and the Zimmerli was named for their mother.
The museum is headquartered in a 70,000-square-foot facility and has a collection of 60,000 objects ranging from ancient to contemporary art and featuring particularly rich holdings in the areas of French art of the nineteenth century, Russian and Soviet Nonconformist Art, and American and European works on paper, including prints, drawings, photographs, and rare books.
The Zimmerli is supported by Rutgers University, as well as the income from the Avenir Foundation Endowment Fund, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Endowment Fund, and the Voorhees Family Endowment Fund, among others. Additional support comes from the Estate of Victoria J. Mastrobuono and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Contributions from other corporations, foundations, and individuals, as well as earned income, also provide vital annual support for the Zimmerli’s operations and programs.
About Rutgers
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the eighth oldest institution of higher learning in the nation, was named in honor of Colonel Henry Rutgers, a former trustee and Revolutionary War veteran. In 1924, Rutgers assumed University status. Legislative acts designated all of the Rutgers divisions combined as “the State University of New Jersey” in 1956.
Rutgers University currently enrolls about 58,000 undergraduate and graduate students of diverse nationalities, who study at three campuses: New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden. More than 100 undergraduate majors and 180 graduate programs are offered at 28 schools and colleges, including New Jersey’s only pharmacy school. The Rutgers faculty numbers nearly 6,714 across all campuses and is dedicated to teaching, research, and public service.
