Harvard Art Museums, Boston

Harvard University's oldest museum, which houses the combined collections of the Busch-Reisinger, Fogg, and Arthur M. Sackler Museums, achieved this merger in late 2014, and the three museums now exist under a splendid, predominantly glass roof. Designed by the acclaimed architect Renzo Piano, the complex spans 204,000 square feet across seven levels, enabling a more comprehensive display of Harvard's extensive 250,000-piece art collection, featuring European and American art spanning from the Middle Ages to present days.

Notable highlights encompass American and European paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts from the Fogg Museum; Asian art, Buddhist cave-temple sculptures, and Chinese bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler collection; as well as works by German expressionists, materials associated with the Bauhaus, and postwar contemporary art from German-speaking Europe from the Busch-Reisinger Museum.

While retaining the Fogg's central courtyard, designed in the style of a 16th-century Italian Renaissance facade, as its nucleus, the complex extends both upward and outward. Within the courtyard, one can find the admissions desk, a small café, and a gift shop.

Tip:
Exploring the complex is best done from the top down. A recommended starting point is the Lightbox Gallery on Level 5, where visitors can engage with digital projects and delve into the collection. Looking down into the courtyard offers a view of Renzo Piano's ingenious architectural expansion, all while affording an overhead perspective of the expansive Alexander Calder mobile that fills the space. Visitors also have the opportunity to peek into the laboratories of the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies.