Haskell ’60 Gift Supports Museum, New Art Education Center

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Willem de Kooning’s Woman II is one of eight abstract paintings donated by Preston H. Haskell III ’60.

Danielle Alio/Princeton University; Willem de Kooning (1904–1997; born Rotterdam, Netherlands; died East Hampton, N.Y.), Woman II, 1961. Oil on paper mounted on canvas, 73.7 x 57.1 cm. Promised gift of Preston H. Haskell, Class of 1960. © The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

An education center at the new Princeton University Art Museum will be named for collector and philanthropist Preston H. Haskell III ’60 in recognition of his major gift to the Venture Forward campaign, the University announced Nov. 13. Haskell also will donate eight abstract paintings to the museum, including works by Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko.

Haskell, the founder and chairman of a Florida-based engineering, architectural, and construction company, served two terms on Princeton’s Board of Trustees and 24 years on the museum’s advisory council. The University declined to provide the amount of Haskell’s gift.

The new museum, designed by architect David Adjaye, is under construction at the site of the previous museum and expected to open in 2024. In a University release, museum director James Steward credited Haskell with financial support and volunteer leadership that helped make the project a reality. Haskell’s gift of art, Steward added, “takes our collection of modern art to a new level.”