Harvard kids get to hang real Picasso and Warhol prints on their dorm walls
Tourists who break Harvard’s new rules for visitors and peep inside dorm room windows might see more than just band posters and photos hanging on the walls — they might see original works by some of the world’s most famous artists.
As part of the Harvard Art Museums’ Student Print Rental Program, students can pay $50 in exchange for the privilege of displaying one of 275 prints in their dorm rooms for a semester, according to The Boston Globe.
So far, students have snatched up rare works by Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Henry Matisse. One of the Warhol works called “Eric Anderson (Chelsea Girls),’’ is one just of 75 ever printed, according to The Globe.
The program first started in the 1970s, but took a break in 2008 because of renovations in the museums’ main buildings. This is the first year the program has been offered since then, and Jessica Diedalis, the Harvard Art Museums’ curricular registrar, told The Globe students are excited.
“I was surprised by the broad reach we had with the students,’’ she said. “From freshmen, to graduates, to business school students — it’s been incredible seeing the variety of the majors interested in this.’’
Because of the risk that the prints will get damaged, like the now famous Taiwanese painting incident where a kid punched a hole in a $1.5 million work, students must sign a contract saying they are responsible for the loss, damage, or theft of a print, and are willing to pay for it. Diedalis told The Globe this hasn’t been an issue in the past.
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