I recently went to explore the exhibits at the Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge MA, home to Harvard University, MIT, and of course a bunch of college students! Recently renovated and beautiful inside and out, the museum is home to five floors of art from all over the world: Chinese art, Buddhist art, Ancient Mediterranean art, Modern and Contemporary art, European art, South Asian art and more.
I was immediately greeted by a large open space that felt so calming and welcoming but at the same time majestic. There is a cafe on the first floor and people were sitting at small wire tables resting their feet admiring the beautiful arches and structure around them.
Looking up from the first floor you see the sky through a glass ceiling and a sculpture hanging – this is an art museum afterall! Once I got over how beautiful the inside of the museum was, I was ready to walk through each exhibit.
I loved the impressionist artwork of Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Mary Cassatt and Vincent Van Gogh. I also remembered a Gerhard Richter exhibit I went to at the Tate in London, and was happy to see a piece of his work in Cambridge as well. My favorites were the Modern and Contemporary pieces, such a broad spectrum of art was showcased in really unique ways. There was a lightbox exhibit on the top floor of the library where TV screens were put together to make one big screen, and the exhibit focused on how the sun has changed over the years. Fascinating!
Definition of Society: Modern Art
Gerard Richter
Lightbox gallery – explaining the phases of the sun month over month ever since a satellite was put into space. The top left sun is the oldest, the bottom right sun is the most recent.
I learned so much in my short visit to the museum. Each exhibit flows nicely into one another allowing you to see so much in just a few hours. Plus, the inside is clean and beautifully kept and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the gorgeous architecture!
After exploring the museum I ventured over to Harvard Square, just a short walk away. It was bustling with students running their Sunday errands. After going in and out of some stores, I stopped for tea and sat outside and watched the Cambridge college life pass me by.
It’s always fun to explore a new area of your city and be open to learning about history. Have you been to a museum lately that’s struck a chord with you? Tell me about it!
