On this tour, Varya Lyapneva ’26 will explore how artists create identities for themselves and their subjects—and the limits of their control. She will look closely at three works: Rashid Johnson’s Untitled Broken Crowd (2023), Théodore Chassériau’s Arab Horsemen Carrying Away Their Dead (1850), and Max Beckmann’s Self-Portrait in Tuxedo (1927).

Spotlight Tours offer a chance to explore the collections of the Harvard Art Museums through the eyes of a Harvard student. Free and open to the public, these tours start outside the museum shop on Saturdays and Sundays at 11am and 2pm. Drop in and join the conversation! And find out what the Student Guides are up to anytime on Instagram @harvardarthappens.