CENTER FOR SPAIN IN AMERICA SPONSORS FELLOWSHIP AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE

Grant underwrites series of fellowships in the Clark’s Research and Academic Program

For Immediate Release
August 22, 2017

Williamstown, Massachusetts—The Clark Art Institute’s Research and Academic Program recently received a $150,000 grant from the Center for Spain in America that provides funds to host a series of fellowships over the next three to six years to encourage the study of Spanish art. The first fellowship, available for the 2018–19 academic year, is open to candidates from all nations.

The Center for Spain in America (CSA) promotes advanced study and public awareness of Spanish art and visual culture in the United States, also focusing on the history of Spanish presence and the influence of Spanish art and culture on North America. CSA cooperates with universities, libraries, archives, museums, and other educational or cultural institutions fostering academic excellence in the field of Spanish studies in the United States and supporting activities such as symposia, lecture series, exhibitions, and publications.

The CSA Fellowship at the Clark will focus on the study of all aspects of Spanish art from the early medieval period to the beginning of the twentieth century, and on the worldwide impact of Spanish art and artists. The program is open to scholars or museum professionals researching individual Spanish artists or specific works of art; pursuing projects that include particular periods, geographic regions, subjects, or themes in Spanish art; studying the collecting and connoisseurship of Spanish art, particularly in the Americas; and examining the influence and importance of Spanish art and its reception throughout the world. It is anticipated that CSA Fellows may undertake publishing projects and/or exhibition research activities during their tenure at the Clark.

“This exceptional program will strengthen and deepen our Research and Academic Program and will extend the international nature of our activities,” said Olivier Meslay, Felda and Dena Hardymon Director of the Clark. “We are most grateful for the Center of Spain in America’s generosity and for its commitment to fostering further study in the important field of Spanish art.”

The Center for Spain in America is affiliated with the Madrid-based Centro de Estudios Europa Hispánica. José Luis Colomer, a noted scholar of Spanish art, directs both organizations and has worked closely with Meslay to establish the program at the Clark.

“The Center for Spain in America is thrilled to establish this collaboration with the Clark Art Institute, providing scholars and museum curators with the opportunity to develop their research projects in such a wonderful academic environment,” said Colomer. “These fellowships are essential to our mission as an entity that strives to advance the understanding and appreciation of Spanish art in the United States, and we look forward to developing this partnership while exploring other venues to foster excellence in this field of study.”

The CSA Fellowship underscores the Clark’s international initiatives. Over the last decade, the Research and Academic Program has hosted a number of leading Spanish scholars as fellows, including several curators from the Museo del Prado, Madrid. The Clark and the Prado have also forged a strong collaborative curatorial relationship. In 2010, the Clark lent its entire collection of works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir to the Prado for the highly successful exhibition Pasión por Renoir. In 2016, the Prado reciprocated by lending many of its finest works to the Clark for the exhibition Splendor, Myth, and Vision: Nudes from the Prado.

Colomer and Meslay noted their appreciation for the important roles played by Alejandro Vergara, senior curator of Flemish Painting and Northern Schools at the Museo del Prado, and Soledad Fox Maura, professor of Spanish and comparative literature at Williams College, in introducing the two leaders and in assisting them in envisioning the framework for the fellowship program.

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 in July and August, 10 am to 5 pm; open Tuesday–Sunday from September through June, 10 am–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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