The Harvard Art Museums stand out for their early embrace of art conservation as a field of study. Under the directorship of Edward Forbes (1909–1944), the Fogg Museum, now part of the Harvard Art Museums, became a laboratory for art, encouraging the empirical study of objects. Forbes was inspired by the German concept of Kunstwissenschaft, or "science of art", and he hired scientists to study the museum's artworks. This approach influenced both his work and the museum's mission. The collection spans diverse periods and cultures, with particular strengths in European, Asian, and American art.