Message from the Director

Our Transformation Begins

This summer marks an extraordinary milestone for the Harvard Art Museum as we begin an historic renovation and transformation. We are launching a project that will create a state-of-the-art facility for all three of our museums—the Fogg Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, and Arthur M. Sackler Museum—at our building on 32 Quincy Street. While we plan to bring all three museums together under one roof, each will retain its distinct identity with larger exhibition galleries as well as a dedicated study center. The renovated facility will also feature an array of new visitor amenities. Architect Renzo Piano is working with us to develop the innovative new design.

As you may know, on June 30, 2008, we will close the building at 32 Quincy Street—the current home of the Fogg and Busch-Reisinger Museums—to prepare for this exciting project. Although 32 Quincy will be closed, we are committed to providing public access to our collections throughout the renovation. In the spring and summer of 2008, we will reinstall the Sackler Museum at 485 Broadway with a selection of works from the collections of all three museums.

Fundamental to the transformation of the Harvard Art Museum are our goals of increased accessibility to our collections for students, scholars, and the public; enhanced collaboration and interdisciplinary work across all of our curatorial departments; and a larger role for the Harvard Art Museum in Harvard’s undergraduate curriculum and educational mission. The Harvard Art Museum has a multifaceted teaching and research mission, and the ways in which we work with and present our collections are absolutely central to fulfilling that mission. New and renovated facilities that offer greatly enhanced flexibility for viewing, studying, and interacting with the collections will provide dynamic museum experiences for our visitors and establish an innovative new model for object-based learning.

Keeping the Cambridge community informed is a priority for us. We have begun to meet with key members of the community about the project, and public meetings and further presentations are expected to take place over the next few months. We anticipate that we will have a schematic design to share later this year. Current projections are that construction will begin in 2009, and the newly renovated building will open in 2013. A project this ambitious and complex takes time, but I have no doubt that it will make a tremendous contribution to the University, the community, and the city for decades to come.

The reinstallation of the Sackler galleries will enable us to present all of the different parts of our collections together in new and thought-provoking ways, and will feature some of our most treasured works from the Fogg's collection of Western art from the Middle Ages to contemporary times; the Busch-Reisinger's collection of art from Central and Northern Europe; and the Sackler's collection of ancient, Asian, Islamic, and later Indian art. To complete this reinstallation that involves moving numerous objects in the collection, we will close the Sackler Museum on June 30, 2008, for a few weeks. We look forward to opening the first galleries sometime in late summer, with a formal opening of the complete new installation in September 2008.

We’ll also continue to present diverse and enlightening programming during the renovation period, both at the Sackler and at other venues within and outside of Harvard. This will present new opportunities and challenges to our curatorial, education, programming, and membership staff, drawing on their creativity and talents and utilizing the great resources here at Harvard. The prospect of working in partnership during this time with institutions outside the University represents another exciting opportunity for the Harvard Art Museum.

Lastly, Harvard remains committed to the development of arts and culture facilities in Allston, and we continue to work with the University and other Harvard arts institutions on a comprehensive plan for Allston. We anticipate the result will yield a new, permanent location for the presentation and study of our modern and contemporary collections, in keeping with the plan we announced last year.

We’ll keep you informed as plans progress. Please refer to the links on this page for Project Updates and Frequently Asked Questions for the most up-to-date information. As always, we appreciate your patience and support during this exciting and challenging time as we transform our facilities into visual art laboratories for the 21st century.

Thomas W. Lentz
Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director