FREE OPENING LECTURE FOR ‘AN EYE FOR EXCELLENCE’ EXHIBITION TO BE HELD AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE

For Immediate Release
October 19, 2015

Williamstown, Massachusetts—Why and how museums acquire works of art is demystified in the exhibition An Eye for Excellence: Twenty Years of Collecting, which focuses on some of the best works of art acquired by the Clark since 1995. On Sunday, October 25 at 11 am, Interim Senior Curator and Marx Director of Exhibitions Kathleen Morris, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs Jay A. Clarke, and Curatorial Research Associate Alexis Goodin present the opening lecture for the exhibition. The curators will provide an overview of how these acquisitions have changed the Clark and talk about the behind-the-scenes process of acquiring works of art. The free lecture is open to the public and will be held in the Clark Center’s Michael Conforti Pavilion.

An Eye for Excellence tells the stories of collectors who have donated objects to the museum and how these new objects enhance the existing collection. Nearly one-quarter of the 9,713 objects in the Clark’s collection have been acquired in the past twenty years. During that time, masterpieces in every media have been added to the collection; the new collecting area of photography was launched; and major gifts were accepted, including the Manton Collection of British Art.

An Eye for Excellence: Twenty Years of Collecting is generously supported by members of the Curators, Director’s, and Sterling Circles of the Clark Society.

ABOUT THE CLARK

The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 240,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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