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Spotlight Tour: The Body as Life Force, with Sophia Pasalis ’25

In this photomontage, a smiling young woman, sitting outside by a blue wall, gestures toward a canvas that appears to be floating. Painted in shades of green, black, and white, the work presents an abstract nude.
One of the works Sophia Pasalis will spotlight is Harlequin Nude (1956) by Karel Appel.

Tour

In-Person
Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA, Enter at Broadway for evening programs

This event does not require registration; see further details below.

On this tour, Sophia Pasalis ’25 will explore three works that celebrate life through the representation of the body. Grounded in questions of materiality and composition, the tour features an earthenware sculpture of a female figure from China (Majiayao culture, Machang phase, 2350–2050 BCE); Auguste Rodin’s anatomically explicit sculpture Iris, Messenger of the Gods [Another Voice, Called Iris], made in France (c. 1890–91); and Harlequin Nude (1956), a lavishly painted canvas by Karel Appel, who was associated with CoBrA, a postwar international avant-garde movement with bases in Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam.

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.

The Harvard Art Museums are now offering free admission every day, Tuesday through Sunday. Please see the museum visit page to learn about our general policies for visiting the museums.

This program is supported by the Ho Family Student Guide Fund.

The Ho Family Student Guide Program at the Harvard Art Museums prepares students to develop original, research-based tours of the collections. Through their training, Student Guides gain knowledge of the collections and develop skills in critical thinking, visual analysis, public speaking, and leadership.

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.