Arts & Culture

Explore Harvard’s vibrant arts scene—from campus exhibitions and theater to cultural analysis and literary reviews. Discover how creativity shapes the Harvard experience.

A woman gazes at large decorative letters with her reflection and two stylized faces beside them.

The True Cost of Grade Inflation at Harvard

How an abundance of A’s created “the most stressed-out world of all.”

by Lindsay Mitchell

William Kentridge gives this year's first Norton Lecture in Sanders Theatre on March 20.

Filmmaker William Kentridge's vision for art that resists rationality and limits

William Kentridge’s vision for art that resists rationality and limits

Music 190gw students perform two South Indian classical pieces, <i>Kripaju</i> and <i>Varanarada,</i> by the saint and composer Tyagaraja (1767-1847).

Breaking Boundaries exhibit showcases art-making in Harvard classrooms

Exhibition showcases art-making in Harvard classrooms

Jorie Graham

Harvard poets celebrated at a dramatic live reading

Showcasing works from the past century-plus

Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones receives the Harvard Arts Medal

The actor collects the medal and discusses his career.

The human urge to create art appears magnificently in the Paleolithic paintings from roughly 30,000 years ago at Chauvet Cave, in southern France. Here, the Panel of the Horses.

Harvard sociobiologist E.O. Wilson on the origins of the arts

Sociobiologist E.O. Wilson on the evolution of culture

Rahul Mehrotra at the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad. The earliest structures of the palace complex were built in a Palladian Neoclassical style; as the rulers gained in confidence, they adopted the Islamic Revivalist style shown here.

Architect Rahul Mehrotra balances teaching at Harvard and practice in India

Rahul Mehrotra's architecture spans eras and cultural divides.

by Elizabeth Gudrais

THUD members perform “Conchairto for Stools” at the fall 2011 concert.

Meet the Harvard Undergraduate Drummers (THUD) percussion ensemble

Inside the world of The Harvard Undergraduate Drummers (THUD)

by Katherine Xue

The 1931 Picasso painting <i>Nude, Green Leaves and Bust</i> being auctioned at Christie’s in 2010. The sale price of $106 million set a world record.

Brooke Lampley heads modern and impressionist art at Christie's

Brooke Lampley '02 heads modern and impressionist art at Christie's.

by Craig Lambert

Bruce Mau

Designer Bruce Mau Is GSD Class Day speaker

The renowned designer addresses degree candidates on May 23.

Widener Library

Harvard library staffers protest after possible layoffs are announced

The threat of library staff layoffs, absent details, leads to consternation and protests.