The collections comprise over 1,100 paintings, 1,400 sculptures, and 2,100 works of decorative art representing nearly a hundred cultures and over 1,200 artists. Selections from these holdings are displayed in the galleries of the Fogg Art Museum on a rotating basis.

The paintings collection is especially strong in 19th-century British and French, 17th-century Dutch, and early Renaissance Italian works. The Harvard Art Museum's Western paintings collection is the finest of any college or university art museum in the United States and compares favorably with the most distinguished public museums in the country.

The sculpture collection is particularly strong in French and Spanish Romanesque sculpture, Italian Renaissance plaquettes, 19th-century French sculpture (notably works by Rodin and Barye), and an important group of 17th-century Roman terracotta studies by Bernini and others. The department's decorative arts holdings include a paramount collection of silver from the British Isles and a celebrated group of Wedgwood ceramics.

Only a small portion of the department's holdings are on view at the Fogg at any given time. Information about many of the department's objects is available on Collections Online. Visitors who wish to examine a specific object or view the associated object file should call the department at (617) 496-3671.

See Current Exhibitions at the Harvard University Art Museums.