Collections
Collections in Motion: What’s New on View
Looking for inspiration for your next visit? In this series, we highlight three recently installed objects in our permanent collections galleries.
By Tara Metal
LaToya M. Hobbs and the Art of Citation
In her print series Carving Out Time, LaToya Hobbs references works by seven Black American artists; Harvard graduate student Nora Rosengarten shares a reading list for visitors to learn more about the artists that inspire Hobbs.
By Nora M. Rosengarten
The Beginnings of Art History at Harvard, Part 2: Charles Herbert Moore, John Ruskin, and the Teaching of Drawing
With John Ruskin’s guidance, Harvard’s Fine Arts instructor Charles Herbert Moore established drawing and the practice of copying as the foundation to the study of art history in the United States.
By Marjorie B. Cohn
The Beginnings of Art History at Harvard, Part 1: Charles Eliot Norton, John Ruskin, and the Teaching of Art History
When Harvard introduced art history into the American academic curriculum in 1874, by way of Charles Eliot Norton, John Ruskin’s scholarship and teaching provided the model. This is the first of two articles about the foundation of art history as a discipline in the United States.
By Marjorie B. Cohn
The Bamum Kingdom, Colonialism, and German Expressionist Karl Schmidt-Rottluff
German expressionist Karl Schmidt-Rottluff included a clay pipe bowl (Ki-kuet pue) from the Bamum Kingdom (modern-day Republic of Cameroon) in his painting. How did this object become part of his private collection?
By Clemens Ottenhausen
A Painted ❤️ in Ancient Rome? A Brief Artistic History of the Heart Symbol
Why is there a ❤️ on an ancient Roman wall painting fragment? Former graduate student intern Vivian Jin takes a deeper look at a series of objects at the museums that trace the symbolic evolution of the heart symbol.
By Vivian Jin
Visitor Guide
Welcome to the Harvard Art Museums! We are three museums—the Fogg, Busch-Reisinger, and Arthur M. Sackler—all in one building. Have fun exploring our galleries; just ask any staff member for help finding your way.
Objects of Addiction: Opium, Empire, and the Chinese Art Trade
Objects of Addiction explores the entwined histories of the opium trade and the Chinese art market between the late 18th and early 20th centuries.
Investigating the Materials of a Chinese Opium Pipe
Questions about the materials of the opium pipe on view in Objects of Addiction led to a collaborative investigation by curatorial, objects conservation, and conservation science staff.
By Nicole Ledoux
40 Works for 40 Years: Celebrating the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum
We are delighted to present a selection of 40 works from the Busch-Reisinger Museum’s collection that reflect 40 years of meaningful, generous support.