The Addison Gallery of American Art, the academic art museum of Phillips Academy, has reopened to the public after a $20 million renovation, the first since its founding in 1931.

Closed since 2008, the expanded museum, in Andover, Mass., is now displaying a special selection of about three hundred historical and contemporary art objects drawn exclusively from the Addison’s collection of 16,750 works by American artists.

Brian T. Allen, the Mary Stripp & R. Crosby Kemper Director of the Addison, says, “The staff has worked diligently to prepare an exhibition that truly honors the Addison’s collection, showcases our improved space and celebrates our tradition of cultivating a love for the beautiful."

The opening exhibit, "Inside, Outside, Upstairs, Downstairs: The Addison Anew," offers viewers the opportunity to discover great treasures and rediscover old favorites, learn about lesser-known but equally compelling works, and become acquainted with new acquisitions in the Addison’s collection, such as an installation of recently gifted glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly.

Centerbrook Architects renovated the building and designed the 13,770-square-foot, three-story expansion which adds a progressive presence to the historic Greek Revival style facade created by Charles Platt.

Gallery spaces in the 1931 building were returned to their former use, the main entrance rotunda and its celebrated Paul Manship fountain were restored, and state-of-the-art climate control, security and lighting systems installed throughout the building.

A new Museum Learning Center, which is open to the public for research and reading, was also added, among other improvements.

One of the most important repositories of American art, the Addison holds works by the likes of George Bellows, John Singleton Copley, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keeffe and Jackson Pollock, as well as photographers Eadweard Muybridge, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, and many more.