Visual Arts

Explore exhibitions, artists, and visual works that enrich Harvard’s cultural and academic life.

A vibrant composition of flowers, a bird, and butterflies with a distant manor under a moody sky.

Rachel Ruysch’s Lush (Still) Life

Now on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, a Dutch painter’s art proved a treasure trove for scientists.

by Lydialyle Gibson

A hairdresser meticulously braiding a client's hair in a vibrant salon, using a candle to seal the ends.

Harvard Film Archive West African Women in Films

The Harvard Film Archive features works by director Rosine Mbakam

"20-24" by Janiva Ellis, a dark, abstract painting featuring distorted human figures with vivid red and muted tones.

Artist Janiva Ellis at the Harvard Carpenter Center

Newly finished paintings unveiled 

Frank Gevalt standing beside his detailed model city "Port Charles," featuring buildings, bridges, and an urban skyline.

From Harvard-Trained Architect to Miniature Diorama Builder

Fred Gevalt’s astonishing and intricate diorama

by Craig Lambert

A Potter’s Practice

Harvard ceramics program artist-in-residence Ashton Keen

by Lydialyle Gibson

view of rooftop buildings and a colorful roof painted blue and gold as an art display

Artists Respond to the Climate Crisis at the Lahore Biennale

At the Lahore Biennale, artists respond to the climate crisis. 

by Nina Pasquini

Marble House foyer decorated with a Christmas tree, poinsettias, and a large wreath on the staircase.

Holiday Decorations at Newport Mansions: The Breakers and Marble House in 2024

Newport’s mansions further festooned

by Nell Porter-Brown

a performance of Faye Driscoll's "Weathering," where ten figures are writhing around a rotating platform

Faye Driscoll’s 'Weathering': An Immersive Performance on Survival and the Climate Crisis at ICA Boston

Exploring emotional connections and the climate crisis 

by Nell Porter-Brown

Darren Sears stands to the left of his framed work "Summit"

Ecological Edges: Darren Sears’s Watercolor Landscapes

The surreal, artistic cartography of Darren Sears

by Lydialyle Gibson

A collage featuring, from left: a young Ogden Codman Jr. in a sepia-toned portrait; items from the Codman Estate displayed in a museum; a close-up of a chair reflecting the English Arts and Crafts movement style; and a sample of the “Brother Rabbit” textile pattern, popular between 1882-90.

Men and Their Castles

Historic New England explores the “bachelor decorators”

by Nell Porter-Brown

Beau McCall, at left, wearing Button Jacket: Born in Philly, Made in Harlem, circa 1988, and his partner, Souleo, wearing Button Jacket: Stacked Sleeves, circa early 1990s-2021

Art Made Out of Buttons

Works by Harlem-based artist Beau McCall at Brockton's Fuller Craft Museum

by Nell Porter-Brown