The New Harvard Art Museums

In late 2014, three of Harvard’s notable museums were brought together in a beautiful new facility designed by Renzo Piano. One striking glass roof now unites the collections of the Fogg Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum. This reinvention involved expanding the Fogg’s original building into a new structure that provides 40 percent more gallery space than before. We spent a wonderful morning exploring the assembled riches, taking time to admire the Impressionist holdings in particular. Highlights from the Busch-Reisinger Museum include remarkable works of German art, while the Arthur M. Sackler Museum contributed an unusually deep Asian art collection; I particularly admired the Japanese screens. We meandered with no set purpose. Depth and diversity are why I love museums such as this — for their unexpected pleasures, and not just the obvious masterpieces.

Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge. Tel. (617) 495-9400