CLARK ART INSTITUTE HOSTS ‘LOOKING AND LUNCHING’

October 31, 2018
[Digital image available upon request]

Williamstown, Massachusetts—The Clark Art Institute continues its “Looking and Lunching” program on Thursday, November 15 at 12 pm. Director of Collections Management and Senior Registrar Mattie Kelley discusses the history of caring for the Clark’s largest painting, William-Adolphe Bouguereau’s imposing Nymphs and Satyr. The half-hour talk takes place in the permanent collection galleries, followed by continued discussion over lunch with the presenter and fellow art lovers. This program is free with gallery admission; limited seating is available. Plan to arrive early to pre-order and purchase your meal, or bring your own lunch. Participants should meet at the admissions desk in the Clark Center.

Nymphs and Satyr depicts three nymphs playfully dragging a satyr into a woodland pond, while a fourth calls to her companions in the distance. The mythological satyr—half-man, half-goat—is reputedly unable to swim. Bouguereau exhibited this painting, accompanied by a verse from the Latin poem that inspired it, at the 1873 Paris Salon. Its vaguely classical subject provided an ideal opportunity to demonstrate his skill painting the female nude from multiple viewpoints. An American collector immediately bought the work, which eventually ended up on display in the bar of New York City’s Hoffman House, where Sterling Clark first encountered it. He arranged for its purchase in 1942.

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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