Noriko Saitō, Japanese (b. Japan 1973), Sunbeam, 2002, ink and color on paper; drypoint with aquatint, 21 5/8 × 26 9/16 in. (55 × 67.5 cm); Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Purchase through the generosity of the David L. Klein, Jr. Foundation in memory of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto, 2018.200. © Noriko Saitō. Photo: © President and Fellows of Harvard College; courtesy of the Harvard Art Museums; Will be on display in Future Minded: New Works in the Collection
Future Minded: New Works in the Collection
March 1 – July 21, 2024
Special Exhibitions Gallery (Level 3)
Future Minded highlights a selection of works acquired in recent years that exemplify the Harvard Art Museums’ collecting vision and strategies. Nearly all are on display for the first time.
The museums are committed to acquiring art that expands the range of artists and cultures represented in the collections; that moves museum practice toward more nuanced understanding of both histories and contemporary issues; and that pushes boundaries and embraces experimentation. Many of the works on view are by living artists, an area of focused growth for the museums.
Staged across two adjacent galleries, the exhibition presents a range of drawings, photographs, prints, paintings, and sculptures spanning centuries and continents. The works are by roughly 30 artists, including Jean (Hans) Arp, Edward Mitchell Bannister, Willie Cole, Pietro Damini, Svenja Deininger, Jeffrey Gibson, Baldwin Lee, Ana Mendieta, Lucia Moholy, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Noriko Saitō, Melissa Shook, Jane Yang-D’Haene, and many others.
Organized by Soyoung Lee, Landon and Lavinia Clay Chief Curator; with Jackson Davidow, John R. and Barbara Robinson Family Curatorial Fellow in Photography, and through close consultation with and contributions from curators and fellows across divisions and conservators in the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies.
Funding for Future Minded: New Works in the Collection is provided by the Melvin R. Seiden and Janine Luke Fund for Publications and Exhibitions. Related programming is supported by the M. Victor Leventritt Lecture Series Endowment Fund. Modern and contemporary art programs at the Harvard Art Museums are made possible in part by generous support from the Emily Rauh Pulitzer and Joseph Pulitzer, Jr., Fund for Modern and Contemporary Art. Acquisition of each work in our collection is made possible thanks to our supporters, past and present.
PAST RELATED EVENT
Exhibition Tour
April 21, 2024 from 12-1pm
Join chief curator Soyoung Lee for a tour of the exhibition Future Minded: New Works in the Collection. Future Minded highlights a selection of works acquired in recent years that exemplify the Harvard Art Museums’ collecting vision and strategies. Nearly all are on display for the first time.
Please meet in the Calderwood Courtyard, in front of the digital screens between the shop and the admissions desk.
Exhibition tours are limited to 18 people and registration is required. You can register by clicking here, beginning at 10am the day of the tour.
EXHIBITIONS CURRENTLY ON VIEW
Elephant Capture, India, Mughal period, early 17th century. Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper. 15 1/16 x 10 3/4 in. (38.2 x 27.3 cm). Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Friends of the Fogg Art Museum Fund, 1951.127.1. © President and Fellows of Harvard College; courtesy of the Harvard Art Museums. On display in Water Stories.
Water Stories
October 18, 2023 – Ongoing
Gallery 2590, South Asian Art and Gallery 2550, Art from Islamic Lands
Water is central to human existence everywhere. In South Asia, where the tropical and sub-tropical climate patterns with annual monsoons determine the level of access to water, water management structures and vessels that control and contain water play a vital role in daily lives. Additional paintings draw attention to the various appearances, uses, and significance of water in Ottoman Times in Türkiye (Turkey) and the Levant. Similar water-themed paintings from Muslim communities in Iran, Egypt, and China are also on display.
Zen Calligraphy
December 5, 2023 – June 2, 2024
Gallery 2740, Buddhist Art
Yu Cheng-yao 餘承堯 (1898–1993), Deep Ravine, Rushing Torrent 峻谷奔流, Taiwan, probably early 1960s, hanging scroll; ink on paper; with inscription, signature, and seal. 53 7/16 x 26 15/16 in. (135.8 x68.4 cm); Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Chu-tsing Li Collection, 2013.161. Photo: © President and Fellows of Harvard College; courtesy of the Harvard Art Museums; On display in Journeys
Journeys
December 12, 2023 – June 2, 2024
Gallery 2600, East Asian Art
In the arts of East Asia, the journey is a recurring theme with endless variations. The artworks displayed in this gallery embody travels that are real and imagined; temporary and permanent; voluntary and involuntary. They are presented in both progressive, time-based works, such as handscrolls, and static snapshots that invite viewers to complete the trek in their minds. As you examine each painting, print, and collage, try to imagine that you are within the scene, and allow yourself to feel the solitude, freedom, longing, nostalgia, or awe that the artist attempted to conjure.
Installation view of Late Imperial Monochromes. Photo: © President and Fellows of Harvard College; courtesy of the Harvard Art Museums.
Late Imperial Monochromes
Ongoing
Gallery 2710, North Arcade
In China’s Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties, a taste emerged for vivid monochrome wares. Imperial kilns left ceramic bodies undecorated or subtly incised, allowing a single bold color to dominate. The rainbow of hues seen in this presentation of thirteen works was achieved through a combination of low-fired enamels and high-fired glazes made with iron, copper, cobalt, and manganese oxide colorants.
To learn more about all these exhibitions, click here.
