Join us for an in-depth, hour-long tour of our special exhibition Sketch, Shade, Smudge: Drawing from Gray to Black, led by an exhibition curator. The exhibition will be on view from September 12, 2025 through January 18, 2026. Sketch, Shade, Smudge: Drawing from Gray to Black celebrates the act of drawing using familiar tools—charcoal, chalk, crayon, and […]

Free admission, but seating is limited and registration is encouraged. Register here. Before becoming president of London’s Royal Academy in 1878, artist Frederic Leighton made several trips to countries around the southern Mediterranean, including southern Spain, Egypt, Turkey, and Syria. In her talk, Melanie Gibson will discuss Leighton’s travels and the art he collected both at […]

An extraordinary group of Swiss drawings and watercolors, dating from the Renaissance to the early 20th century, recently entered the collections through a generous gift. We will examine these works with Jonas Beyer, head curator of one of Switzerland’s most comprehensive graphic collections. Beyer will highlight Swiss drawing practices and themes alongside curator of drawings […]

A recent gift of three sculptures by American artist Charlotte Moorman (1933–1991) marks the first works by this classically trained cellist and avant-garde artist to enter the Harvard Art Museums collections. Due to their unusual materials, Syringe Cello (1989), Neon Cello (1989), and Bronze Shadow Cello (1983–89) presented a range of unique conservation challenges ahead of their installation. Objects conservation fellow […]

Join curatorial fellow Janet O’Brien for an exploration of the diverse range of animal representations in a recent installation in our Islamic and South Asian art galleries, including their symbolic meanings and cultural significance. On view in the Islamic art gallery (2550) are a 16th-century Persian carpet, a selection of ceramic and metal sculptural objects […]