For Immediate Release
July 10, 2023

CLARK ART INSTITUTE PRESENTS SERIES OF 
WORKS ON PAPER HIGHLIGHTS TALKS 

Williamstown, Massachusetts—The Clark Art Institute presents a five-part series of works on paper highlights talks, offered on Wednesdays in August. Each week, discover a unique selection of rarely exhibited works on paper with a member of the Clark’s curatorial team. All talks take place at 1 pm in the Manton Study Center for Works on Paper, which houses the Clark's collection of more than 6,500 prints, drawings, and photographs.

Drawn Ecologies
August 2
In conjunction with the Clark’s summer exhibition of contemporary art, Humane Ecology: Eight Positions, Lunde Fellow Sarah Grandin discusses eight drawings that face and frame the natural world. From Claude Lorrain’s idyllic valleys to Homer’s treacherous shorelines, to Degas’ morbid fox study to Bonheur’s stately bovine portraits, the selected works chart the breadth of artists’ positions vis-à-vis their environments and cohabitants.

Another Printed Renaissance: Northern Masters
August 9
In conjunction with the Clark's summer works on paper exhibition, Printed Renaissance, Curatorial Assistant for Paintings and Sculpture Sophie Kerwin offers a Northern counterpart to the story of the reproductive print in Southern Europe, discussing the role of reproductive prints in establishing the reputation of Northern masters like Albrecht Dürer and Peter Paul Rubens.

Between Art and Archive—British Photo Tourism
August 16
 Focusing on works by nineteenth-century British photographers, Graduate Curatorial Intern Eva Dailey discusses how photography functioned both as a novel artistic enterprise and as archival documentation contributing to the emergence of photo-tourism. The medium played an integral role in the nineteenth century archeological project and will here be considered as a window into a now irretrievable moment of material discovery.

Secrets from the Press
August 23
Acquired by the Clark last year, Jan van der Straet’s major print The Invention of Copper Engraving transports the viewer to sixteenth-century Europe to stand alongside master printmakers and their apprentices in a bustling workshop. Focusing on this celebrated engraving, Curatorial Assistant for Works on Paper Allison Marino reveals lesser-known facts about the early modern printer’s workshop, from the roots of present day copyright in Dürer’s legal battle for his monogram, to the central presence of female printers in eighteenth-century workshops.

Edvard Munch—Portrait of the Artist as a Printmaker
August 30
In conjunction with the Clark’s major summer exhibition, Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs Anne Leonard presents the Clark’s full set of works on paper by this revered Norwegian artist. In his prints, Munch challenged conventional ideas about the portrayal of the human figure, the role of color, and the primacy of materials in realizing an artistic vision.

All talks are free. Capacity is limited. For more information, visit clarkart.edu/events.

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 some 300,000 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, from September through June, and daily in July and August. Admission is free January through March and is $20 from March through December; admission is free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is also available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

Press contact: [email protected]