The work of conservation often goes unnoticed. On this tour, Sachi Laumas ’26 will explore the role of conservation in the life of an artwork and the effect it has on how we experience art. She will also discuss the museums’ Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, the first scientifically based conservation and research department in any U.S. museum. The Straus remains a world leader in conservation practice and training to this day. Stops on the tour are the marble Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii (1859), made in Rome by American sculptor Randolph Rogers; a Persian sweetmeat dish from c. 1200 (Seljuk-Atabeg period); and Piet Mondrian’s Composition with Blue, Black, Yellow, and Red (1922), an abstract painting still in its original artist-made frame.

Spotlight Tours offer a chance to explore the collections of the Harvard Art Museums through the eyes of a Harvard student. Free and open to the public, these tours start outside the museum shop on Saturdays and Sundays at 11am and 2pm. Drop in and join the conversation! And find out what the Student Guides are up to anytime on Instagram @harvardarthappens.

Please check in with museum staff at the Admissions desk in the Calderwood Courtyard to request to join the tour. Tours are limited to 18 people and are available on a first-come, first-served basis; no registration is required.