CARPEAUX SCULPTURE IS SUBJECT OF CLARK ART INSTITUTE’S ‘LOOKING AT LUNCHTIME’ TALK

For Immediate Release
February 15, 2016

Williamstown, Massachusetts—Graduate Curatorial Intern Lea Stephenson discusses Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's sculpture Daphnis and Chloe on Tuesday, March 1 at 12:30 pm. The half-hour talk will be held in the Clark Center special exhibition galleries and is free with paid admission.

Featured in the exhibition An Eye for Excellence: Twenty Years of Collecting, the marble sculpture created in 1874 depicts Daphnis caressing Chloe’s neck, tenderly leaning toward her as if to whisper in her ear or brush her cheek with his lips. Carpeaux became famous, even notorious, for his dynamic sculptural compositions, which some of his contemporaries considered indecent. This sculpture was inspired by second-century Greek novelist Longus, whose Daphnis and Chloe narrative asserts: “No one has ever escaped love, nor ever shall, so long as beauty exists and eyes can see.”

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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