Gallery Talk: Feline Felicity as Early American Modernism

In the early 20th century, as increasingly tall buildings introduced new perspectives onto the world, photographers sought ways to capture this way of seeing. Many of Charles Sheeler’s compositions for his celebrated drawings and paintings began as photographs and were indebted to the contemporaneous technological advancements in architecture and photography. Join curator Mitra Abbaspour for a conversation about the avant-garde underpinnings of Sheeler’s delightfully endearing drawing of a cat lying on a chair basking in sunlight.

This talk is offered in conjunction with the special exhibition Sketch, Shade, Smudge: Drawing from Gray to Black, on view from September 12, 2025 to January 18, 2026.

Led by:
Mitra Abbaspour, Houghton Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

Please check in with museum staff at the Visitor Services desk in the Calderwood Courtyard to request to join the gallery talk. Space is limited, and talks are available on a first-come, first-served basis; no registration is required.

You may also like the following events from Harvard Art Museums:

• Next Wednesday, 27th August, 12:30 pm, Gallery Talk: Meaning Makers in Cambridge
• Next month, 4th September, 12:30 pm, Gallery Talk: Activation of Moholy-Nagy’s Light Prop for an Electric Stage in Cambridge
• Next month, 6th September, 12:00 pm, Exhibition Tour: Edna Andrade: Imagination Is Never Static in Cambridge

Also check out other Arts events in Cambridge, Fine Arts events in Cambridge, Exhibitions in Cambridge.