The Fogg Art Museum

Visited the Fogg Art Museum, which is one of several Harvard University Art Museums. The Fogg features American and European works; the Busch Reisinger has German art; and the Sackler has Asian, Middle Eastern, and ancient art. The Fogg has vast collections that are primarily used for educational purposes and are rarely on display to the public. The print department has limited hours when the general public can view specific works on paper and photographs upon request.

Harvard trains its docents well. A wide variety of art tours and gallery talks are offered during the academic year. Some days I am the only person to take a specific tour. Often the docents will custom tailor the presentation to match my interests. My guide today had lived in the Netherlands for four years. She gave me a very thorough tour of Dutch Golden Age and Flemish paintings, with a smattering of Poussin (French Baroque) and original clay models by Bellini. (Italian Baroque Sculpture) She was patient with my questions and observations.

There is so much that I could say about this Museum alone. It has much of the intimacy of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum but many more changing exhibits. In a future blog entry I will write about the watercolor and pastel exhibit that just opened there.