Unique in size and scope among North American museums, the expansive Art Study Center allows visitors to request objects not currently on display in the galleries, facilitating self-directed teaching and learning from works in all media. Visitors can study John Singer Sargent’s working process as documented in his drawings, marvel at a ceramic drinking vessel from ancient Greece, or learn about early photographic processes by examining a nineteenth-century daguerreotype.

Housed under the museums’ glass rooftop, this space receives controlled natural light—ideal for the kind of close looking that happens here. With individual centers dedicated to each of the three museums (Fogg Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, and Arthur M. Sackler Museum) and four seminar rooms, the Art Study Center encourages extended interactions with original works of art.

In addition to providing access to the museums’ collections, the Art Study Center is also a venue where visitors can call upon the expertise of the museums’ curators, conservators, and educators.

The Art Study Center welcomes visitors by appointment (free with museums admission; available Monday–Friday, 10am–5pm. Please note that from June 1 to August 31, the hours will be Monday and Tuesday, 10am-5pm, and Wednesday and Friday, 10am-3pm. Please check the calendar for special programs offered in the Art Study Center.

Children age 14 and older are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult.