Message from the Director

Our Transformation Begins

2008 marked an extraordinary milestone for the Harvard Art Museum as we began to prepare for 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 closed the building at 32 Quincy Street—the former home of the Fogg and Busch-Reisinger Museums—to prepare for this exciting project. Although 32 Quincy is closed, we are committed to providing public access to our collections throughout the renovation. The Sackler Museum at 485 Broadway has been reinstalled with a selection of works from the collections of all three museums in an ongoing exhibition entitled Re-View. The exhibition presents different parts of our collections together in new and thought-provoking ways, and features 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 Germanic art from Central and Northern Europe; and the Sackler's collection of ancient, Asian, Islamic, and later Indian art.

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 continue 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. Current projections are that construction will begin in fall 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.

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.

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.