RENAISSANCE SPECIALIST TO PRESENT FREE LECTURE AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE

For Immediate Release
June 3, 2016

RENAISSANCE SPECIALIST TO PRESENT FREE LECTURE AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE
“Nudity and Nakedness” explores evolution of the nude

Williamstown, Massachusetts—University of Edinburgh art historian and Renaissance specialist Jill Burke explores the emergence and evolution of the nude in Renaissance art in her lecture “Nudity and Nakedness in Renaissance Europe” on Sunday, June 19 at 3 pm at the Clark Art Institute. The free lecture will be held in the Michael Conforti Pavilion.

From around the 1470s, the ability to draw a nude figure was a key test of an artist’s ability. Images of nudes started to proliferate—on domestic furniture, public sculpture, and even in church and chapel decoration. This lecture asks two questions: Why the sudden popularity of images of unclothed bodies? How did audiences react to the new visibility of the nude?

The lecture accompanies the Clark’s summer exhibition, Splendor, Myth, and Vision: Nudes from the Prado, on view June 11–October 10, 2016. Admission to the galleries is $20; children under 18, students with a valid ID, and members are always free.

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.

Press contact:
Clark Art Institute
[email protected]
413 458 0471