In the academic year 1874-75 the Harvard University Course catalogue offered, for the first time, a series of electives in the History of Art. These included two classes: the History of the Fine Arts and Their Relation to Literature, lecture taught by Charles Eliot Norton (1827-1908); and Principles of Design, a studio class taught by Charles Herbert Moore (1840-1930). The program brought together the critical and the creative in a project modeled under the conviction that “seeing” can and needs to be educated, or in other words, that learning to look is the most fundamental task of the discipline of art history.
This founding 150 years ago stands as a milestone in the beginnings of art history.
To mark this historic milestone, the conference “The Education of the Eyes: 150 Years of Art History at Harvard” will be held in Cambridge, MA, November 7-8, 2025.
The conference will be held in person with a selection of hybrid sessions and events, and co-hosted by the Department of History of Art and Architecture and the Harvard Art Museums.
Updates will be forthcoming on the conference website as they become available.