CLARK ART INSTITUTE INVITES PUBLIC TO FREE BOOK CLUB

June 13, 2018

Williamstown, Massachusetts—In celebration of the Clark Art Institute’s special exhibition, Women Artists in Paris, 1850–1900, the Institute hosts a summer book club featuring three novels set in nineteenth-century France. Each book centers on remarkable female characters and the vibrant and changing society in which they lived.

The group meets once a month in June, July, and August. Kicking off the book club is a discussion of George Sand’s Indiana on Wednesday, June 27 at 7 pm. The free session will be held in the Manton Research Center reading room. Space is limited and reservations are required. To reserve, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 0524.

Indiana is a novel about love and marriage written by Amantine Aurore Dupin, who published under the pseudonym George Sand. Published in 1832, the novel blends the conventions of romanticism, realism, and idealism. Indiana, the story’s heroine, is a young noblewoman descended from French colonial settlers from Île Bourbon (now La Réunion) and living in France. Confined to a loveless marriage with an older ex-military officer named Colonel Delmare, Indiana searches for passionate love.

The novel explores many typical nineteenth-century themes, including adultery, social constraint, and unfulfilled longing for romantic love. It is an exploration of nineteenth-century female desire complicated by class constraints and by social codes about infidelity.

Additional sessions of the book club include Émile Zola’s L’Assommoir on July 25 at 7 pm and Colette’s Chérie on August 29 at 7 pm. All books are available for sale in the Clark’s Museum Store.

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, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, 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. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; EBT Card to Culture; Bank of America Museums on Us; and Blue Star Museums. For more information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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