For Immediate Release
October 8, 2021

DESIGNER BRIAN MCCARTHY AND GALLERIST EDITH DICCONSON DISH ON “LIVING WITH LES LALANNE”

Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Saturday, October 23, in conjunction with the special exhibition Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne: Nature Transformed, the Clark Art Institute welcomes Edith Dicconson, Senior Director at Kasmin Gallery and designer Brian McCarthy, to share their personal experiences of their work with the artistic duo and of their long relationship with artist Claude Lalanne. Through private recollections, the two will explore the many ways in which distinguished collectors across the globe live with coveted works by Les Lalanne and will offer a glimpse into the magical world created by the pair in their home and studio in Ury, France. Kathleen Morris, the Clark’s Marx Director of Collections and Exhibitions and the curator of the exhibition will moderate the discussion. This event will be presented live in the Clark's auditorium and broadcast simultaneously on Zoom and Facebook Live at 2 pm.

A former partner of the legendary design firm Parish-Hadley, award-winning designer Brian McCarthy founded his eponymous firm Brian J. McCarthy Inc. in 1992. Since then, he has worked on projects and residences around the globe. A graduate of New York City's Pratt Institute, McCarthy is a member of Architectural Digest's AD100 and Elle Decor's A-List and his work has been featured in many publications, including Architectural Digest, on the cover of Galerie magazine, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, New York magazine (100 Best), The New York Times, and Veranda, as well as in several books. He is also the author of Luminous Interiors and Parish Hadley Tree of Life, which he co-authored with designer Bunny Williams. McCarthy was awarded The Albert Hadley Lifetime Achievement Award from The New York School of Interior Design in 2020.

Edith Dicconson is a Senior Director at New York’s Kasmin gallery, where she works closely with artists and estates including Les Lalanne, Walton Ford, Elliott Puckette, Robert Polidori, and Mattia Bonetti. Dicconson has overseen several major exhibitions of work by Les Lalanne in her tenure at Kasmin, including a 2019 survey spanning 50 years of work and a focused retrospective in 2020, collaborating with Brian J McCarthy. She came to Kasmin in 2013 after seven years as the Director of The Chinese Porcelain Company.

This event will be presented live in the Clark's auditorium and broadcast simultaneously on Zoom and Facebook Live. No registration is needed to attend the live event, but registration is required for the Zoom transmission. Log-in information will be sent to all Zoom registrants. For more information and to register, visit clarkart.edu/events. All guests are required to wear facemasks while inside the Clark’s facilities.

Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne: Nature Transformed is on view in the Clark’s Michael Conforti Pavilion and in additional outdoor locations through October 31, 2021. The exhibition is organized by the Clark Art Institute and curated by Morris.

Major support for Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne: Nature Transformed is provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel. Significant funding is provided by Sylvia and Leonard Marx and by the Kenneth C. Griffin Charitable Fund, with additional support from Jeannene Booher, Agnes Gund, and Robert D. Kraus. The exhibition catalogue has been published with the generous support of Denise Littlefield Sobel, with additional support from the Kenneth C. Griffin Charitable Fund and Furthermore: a program of the J.M. Kaplan Fund.

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 275,000 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. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday and daily in July and August. Advance timed tickets are required. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For more information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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