CLARK ART INSTITUTE NAMES ROBERT WIESENBERGER AS ASSOCIATE CURATOR OF CONTEMPORARY PROJECTS

July 12, 2018
[Digital image available upon request]

Williamstown, Massachusetts—The Clark Art Institute announces the appointment of Robert Wiesenberger as Associate Curator of Contemporary Projects, a position reflecting the growing significance of modern and contemporary art to the Institute’s Museum Program. Wiesenberger currently serves as Critic at the Yale School of Art in New Haven, Connecticut.

“The addition of Rob Wiesenberger to our curatorial team is an important reflection of our commitment to extending the Clark’s focus on contemporary art, and Rob will surely enhance the depth and diversity of our exhibition program,” said Olivier Meslay, the Hardymon Director of the Clark. “We have been actively working in the contemporary field since the early 1970s through important exhibitions that have featured artists like Helen Frankenthaler, Leonard Baskin, El Anatsui, Juan Muñoz, Mark Dion, David Smith, Ellsworth Kelly, and most recently Jennifer Steinkamp. Although some may more readily identify the Clark with the traditional focus of our permanent collection, it’s quite remarkable to consider the breadth of contemporary exhibitions that have energized our campus for more than forty years. We are eager to expand on that proud history and look forward to the exciting projects that Rob will create here.”

Wiesenberger’s interests span modern and contemporary art, design, and architecture. He has been a member of the Yale faculty since 2013, teaching a seminar on the history and theory of graphic design in the school’s MFA program in graphic design. From 2014–2016, he was the Stefan Engelhorn Curatorial Fellow at the Harvard Art Museums, where he was responsible for the museums’ Bauhaus collections of more than 30,000 objects. In addition to organizing in-gallery exhibitions, Wiesenberger also created an online research tool to provide greater access to these collections.

“Rob is a scholar, a writer, a teacher, and an incredibly bright curator,” said Esther Bell, the Clark’s Robert and Martha Berman Lipp Senior Curator and Curator of Paintings and Sculpture. “We are thrilled that he will expand our curatorial focus to include modern and contemporary subjects and know that he will use this as a platform for bringing fresh and challenging new exhibitions and projects to the Clark. His energy and intellectual curiosity encompass rich and eclectic interests that embrace many disciplines, and we look forward to seeing how they will inform and inspire his work here.”

Wiesenberger is the coauthor of Muriel Cooper (MIT Press, 2017) and author of a forthcoming publication on Marcel Breuer (August Editions, 2018), and is a contributing editor for ART PAPERS magazine. A graduate of the University of Chicago with a concentration in history and Germanic studies, he holds both an MA and a PhD in art history from Columbia University and has participated in a number of distinguished programs, including the Center for Curatorial Leadership Mellon Foundation Seminar; the Getty Summer Institute on Digital Art History, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Jacob K. Javits Fellowship. He is currently the Curator in Residence at the Cape Cod Modern House Trust.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Clark—a one-of-a-kind institution known for its rigor, its extraordinary collections, and the natural beauty of its setting,” said Wiesenberger. “In presenting newer work, I hope to develop exhibitions, programs, and publications that are generative for an existing and expanded set of visitors; for scholars in the graduate program, in residence, and in the wider community; and for living artists, for whom the Clark’s unique combination of resources might fire the imagination and support new work.”

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; open daily in July and August. 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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