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Art Study Center Seminar: Blue Women—The History and Practice of Drawing Dutch Female Nudes from Life

Drawing of a seated female nude leaning to the right with her head turned upward.
Jacob Adriaensz. Backer, Dutch, Seated Female Nude (Study for Venus), c. 1650. Black and white chalk on blue antique laid paper. The Maida and George Abrams Collection, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Gift of George S. Abrams in appreciation of William Robinson’s services as curator of drawings, 1988–2013, 2013.170.

Seminar

In-Person
Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA

This event requires a reservation; see further details below.

Join curatorial fellow Talitha Maria G. Schepers for an interactive close-looking session that explores the exceptional and innovative circumstances under which 17th-century Dutch artists drew female nudes from life, the conventions they broke while doing so, and their reason for using blue paper. This seminar is inspired by a recent installation of Dutch drawings and prints in the 17th-century Dutch and Flemish art gallery (2300).

Led by:
Talitha Maria G. Schepers, Stanley H. Durwood Foundation Curatorial Fellow, Division of European and American Art

Free admission, but registration is required. Registration for this seminar will open on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at this link.

Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of the program to allow sufficient time to sign in at the museum staff entrance, and be prepared to present a photo ID. The staff entrance is located next to the museums’ loading dock, at 480 Broadway. More details about where to meet inside the museums will be emailed shortly after registration.

Lockers are available on the Lower Level, Level 1, and Level 4 to check bags, coats, umbrellas, and any food or drink.

Please see the museum visit page to learn about our general policies for visiting the museums.

The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at am_register@harvard.edu at least 48 hours in advance.