BOOK CLUB FOCUSING ON GILDED AGE CONCLUDES AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE

For Immediate Release
August 15, 2017

Williamstown, Massachusetts—The Clark Art Institute’s summer book club, held in conjunction with the exhibition Orchestrating Elegance: Alma-Tadema and Design, concludes on Wednesday, August 30 at 7 pm with a discussion of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. The session will be held in the reading room, located in the Manton Research Center. The book club is free, although reservations are required. To reserve, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 0524.

Wine and sparkling water will be available for purchase, and books will be available for sale in the book shop in advance of the book club meeting.

The book club focuses on novels set in or inspired by the Gilded Age in New York, making connections to Henry Gurdon Marquand’s elegant music room designed by artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. The Picture of Dorian Gray, considered scandalous in its day, tells the story of the relationship between artist Basil Hallward and a man named Dorian, the subject of one of his oil paintings. Understanding that his beauty is temporary, Dorian wishes to sell his soul to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a life of varied and amoral experiences, while staying young and beautiful. All the while, his portrait ages and records every sin.

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 270,000 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 daily, 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:
Amanda Powers
Clark Art Institute
413 458 0471
[email protected]