[5] After opening newly expanded spaces in 2019, PEM now ranks in the top 10 North American art museums in terms of gallery square footage, operating budget and endowment.

[10][needs update] In May 2012, the PEM confirmed that its expansion would not be finished until 2019, due to the unexpected death of museum architect Rick Mather in April 2012 and the search for his replacement.

The firm of Ennead Architects (New York) was chosen after successfully completing the first phase of the building project, which included master planning and the renovation of the museum's Dodge wing, which was scheduled to open in November 2013.

[20] The acquisition of these works began in the early 19th century, as members of the East India Marine Society collected objects from West and sub-Saharan Africa.

These objects include ceremonial masks, pottery, woven baskets, and a significant collection of Ethiopian art—particularly Christian icons and metalwork, many of which are based in the traditions of Byzantine art.

[22] PEM's extensive collection of American art includes over 1,000 portraits,[23] among them works by John Singer Sargent, Fitz Henry Lane, and James Bard.

This house, constructed during the Qing dynasty, was acquired by Nancy Berliner, at the time PEM's curator of Chinese art and culture, before being taken apart and reassembled in Salem.

[27] Among the most important in the United States, the museum's American clothing collection, with examples dating from the early 18th century to the present, represents many of New England's prominent families, including Salem's Crowninshields, who helped establish the city as a seafaring hub.

Among its areas of strength are military uniforms, a collection established by the Essex Institute following the end of the American Civil War in 1865, and significant holdings representing the work of notable designers, dressmakers and milliners, including Alexander McQueen, Rei Kawakubo, Jamie Okuma, and hundreds of pieces from legendary fashion icon, Iris Apfel.

[29] PEM's collection spans a wide array of eras and mediums, forming a detailed record of India's artistic transformations during colonial rule and its aftermath.

As former PEM curator Susan S. Bean observes, art objects were "essential to the conduct of social life because they conveyed values, fulfilled wishes, provided access to deities and ancestors, taught lessons and conferred prestige".

[30] By the end of the 18th century, coinciding with the museum's 1799 founding, Salem was one of the nation's most prosperous seaports, and extensive trading of furs, spices, dyes, and other goods brought much wealth to the region.

PEM's collection of Native American art includes over 20,000 objects,[20] spanning a wide variety of tribal affiliations and time periods.

The collection includes masks, textiles, jewelry, clothing, sculpture, and more, along with many pieces by contemporary Native American artists such as Frank Day and Kay WalkingStick.

[20] These objects, consisting of sculptures, weapons, clothing, and more, include pieces made from traditional Oceanic materials such as porpoise teeth, abalone, and human hair.

The collection has a vast variety of subjects and styles, from records of native life in the Philippines to photographs by Walker Evans which document the Great Depression.