Clark Art Institute

The institute also serves as a center for research and higher learning. It is home to various research and academic programs, which include the Fellowship Program and the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art, as well as one of the most distinguished research libraries in the country, with more than 295,000 volumes in over 72 languages. The Clark is visited by 200,000 people a year, and offers many educational programs for visitors of all ages throughout the year.

The Clark was created in 1955 in association with Williams College by entrepreneur, soldier and prominent art collector Robert Sterling Clark, and his wife, Francine. After traveling in the Far East, Sterling settled in Paris in 1911 and used a considerable fortune inherited from his grandfather (a principal in the Singer Sewing Machine Company) to begin amassing a private art collection. Francine joined him in collecting works of art after their marriage in 1919. The Clarks kept their collection largely private, rarely lending out any works. With the onset of the Cold War and rapid nuclear armament, they became increasingly worried about the safety of their artworks. They wanted to protect their collection from a possible attack on New York City, where they lived and where the expected heir of their collection, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was located. As such, the Clarks began looking at sites in rural New York and Massachusetts with the intention of founding a museum for their art. They visited Williamstown, Massachusetts in 1949 and began having conversations with town leaders and the administrators of Williams College and the Williams College Museum of Art. Sterling had ties to the college through his grandfather and father, both of whom had been trustees. A charter for the "Robert Sterling Clark Art Institute" was signed on March 14, 1950, incorporating the organization with the intention of becoming both a museum and educational institution. A special meeting was held by Sterling soon after the first cornerstone was laid in 1953 that changed the name to "the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute", as it is today. Sterling wrote that Francine's inclusion was because of "her constant enthusiasm for the Institute's objectives, her participation in the accumulation of the collections which the Institute will house and her contributions to the planning of the project." The Clark opened to the public on May 17, 1955, under its first director, former silver dealer Peter Guille. The Clark has since become a destination for tourists, art lovers, and scholars, helping to establish the cultural reputation of the Berkshires.

Sterling Clark foresaw the museum as replete with natural light and a classical order. After being unhappy with designs produced by two architectural firms, Clark turned to Daniel Perry at the recommendation of Peter Guille, suggesting a design close in classical style to that of the Frick Collection but with less ornament. Construction lasted almost two years and cost almost $3 million. The building opened on May 17, 1955, and included a private apartment in which the Clark family could stay when in Williamstown. This feature ended up being Sterling Clark's final home after the couple moved out of their Park Avenue residence, and his ashes are under the building's front steps.

The Pietro Belluschi-designed Manton Research Center, housing the library and research programs, was completed in 1973. The Clark embarked on a long-term project in 2001 to improve its campus, enlisting the help of landscape firm Reed Hilderbrand and architects Tadao Ando and Annabelle Selldorf. Hilderbrand redesigned the campus grounds, revamping nearby walking trails, planting 1,000 trees, and creating a reflecting pool fed by recycled water. Tadao Ando designed two additions: the Lunder Center at Stone Hill and the 42,600-square-foot (3,960 m2) Clark Center, which opened in 2008 and 2014, respectively. Envisioned as a sanctuary in the woods waiting to be discovered, the Lunder Center features two galleries and a seasonal terrace café. It is also home to the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, founded in 1977, the largest regional conservation center in the country. The Clark Center includes more than 11,000 square feet (1,000 m2) of gallery space for special exhibitions; new dining, retail, and family spaces; and an all-glass Museum Pavilion that creates a new entrance to the original Museum Building. Situated northwest of the Museum Building, the stone, concrete, and glass Clark Center is the centerpiece of the Clark's campus and serves as its primary visitor entrance. Annabelle Selldorf was commissioned to renovate the campus' existing structures. In the 1955 original marble building, galleries for American and decorative art were added and exhibition space was increased by 15%. In the Manton Research Center, which reopened in 2016, the auditorium and central courtyard were renovated and several galleries and a study center were created. Its renovation marked the completion of the Clark's all-encompassing expansion project. The museum's most recent $145 million expansion project was funded through private donations, foundation support, the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, and bond financing organized in conjunction with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Selldorf was later selected to also design the Aso O. Tavitian Wing, which is scheduled to be completed in 2027 or 2028. The new building will be located on the Clark’s campus between the Manton Research Center and the original museum building.

Initially, the Clarks concentrated on Italian, Dutch, and Flemish Old Master paintings. Over time, their tastes shifted towards artists like John Singer Sargent, Edgar Degas, Winslow Homer, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. After 1920, the Clarks focused mainly on the art of 19th-century France — specifically works of Impressionism and the Barbizon School. Over the next 35 years, the Clarks would add to their private collection, increasing their holdings of paintings, porcelain, silver, prints, and drawings from the early fourteenth to the early twentieth century. The museum's permanent collection has several elements. Renoir, Rodin, George Inness, John Singer Sargent, and Jean-Léon Gérôme feature prominently. The Clark prominently features Bouguereau's Nymphs and Satyr, one of the greatest French academic works, and is best known today for its works of French Impressionism.

The Clark has continued to build and shape its collection to realize more fully and effectively its mission. Recent acquisitions include Brutus Condemning His Sons to Death by Guillaume Guillon-Lethière as well as the Landscape Album (Paysage) which contains approximately one hundred landscape drawings mostly by Lethière himself. Also recently acquired is the Tea Service of Famous Women (Cabaret des femmes célèbres) painted by Marie-Victoire Jaquotot, one of only three known sets which features portraits of women noted for their achievements within governance, literature, philosophy, and international relations. Additional new acquisitions include The Swearing in of President Boyer at the Palace of Haiti by Adolphe-Eugène-Gabriel Roehn, and a recent important gift from Frank and Katherine Martucci of early photographs of and by Black Americans, particularly by Edward J. Souby and James Van Der Zee. In 2013, Frank and Katherine Martucci gave the museum eight George Inness landscapes, supplementing his two works already in the collection.

The Clark presents special exhibitions throughout the year on a wide breadth of topics, ranging from well-known artists to lesser-known artists and older works to contemporary works. Most special exhibitions are shown in various galleries across the institute’s campus. After exhibiting at the Clark, some shows have traveled to other sites for viewing, including Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth. The following are notable exhibitions from the last 15 years: Guillaume Lethière, June 15 – October 14, 2024 Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth, June 10 – October 15, 2023 Promenades on Paper: Eighteenth-Century French Drawings from the Bibliothèque nationale de France, December 17, 2022 – March 12, 2023 Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway, June 19 – September 19, 2021 Renoir: The Body, The Senses, June 8 – September 22, 2019 Wall Power, December 14, 2024 – March 9, 2025 Pissarro’s People, June 12 – October 2, 2011 El Anatsui, June 12 – October 16, 2011 Jennifer Steinkamp: Blind Eye, June 30 – October 8, 2018 Jacques-Louis David: Empire to Exile, June 6 – September 5, 2005 Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne: Nature Transformed, May 8 – October 31, 2021 Orchestrating Elegance: Alma-Tadema and Design, June 4 – September 4, 2017 Lin May Saeed: Arrival of the Animals, July 21 – October 25, 2020 More information about current exhibitions can be found directly on the website.

Beyond the buildings themselves, the Clark campus encompasses 140 acres (57 ha) of meadows, woods, and walking trails. In line with Sterling and Francine Clark's original vision, the Clark emphasizes the natural beauty of the Berkshires as a crucial aspect of the visitor experience. In the warmer months of the year, visitors are greeted by an expansive three-tiered reflecting pool designed by landscape architect Reed Hilderbrand.

Also visible in the warmer months are pastured cows which graze on and above Stone Hill. According to the Clark Art Institute website, the cows are friendly but prefer not to be approached.

In the winter months, visitors can borrow a pair of complimentary snowshoes to explore the Clark campus and trails in the snow.

The Clark campus features several outdoor art installations. Their first full outdoor exhibition, Ground/work, was held from October 2020 to October 2021 and featured works from an international collection of artists, including Nairy Baghramian, Jennie C. Jones, Haegue Yang, Kelly Akashi, Eva LeWitt, and Analia Saban. This exhibition, which is representative of the Clark's increased focus on working with living and contemporary artists, transformed the meadows and woodlands of the campus into an immersive outdoor gallery. The second Ground/work exhibition is being held between June 2025 and October 2026 featuring works from artists including Javier Senosiain, Hugh Hayden, Yo Akiyama, Aboubakar Fofana, Laura Ellen Bacon, and Milena Naef. While the first Ground/work exhibition has concluded, visitors can still view various outdoor sculptures and installations around the campus at no cost.

The Research and Academic Program (RAP) is the manifestation of the Clark's original commitment to academic research and scholarly study. The program began in the late 1990s with the establishment of the Clark Library and the Graduate Program in the History of Art. Under the direction of John Onians, Michael Ann Holly, and Darby English, the program has since widened its purview to partner with both regional and international institutions and scholars to challenge and expand the scope of the study and production of the visual arts. Caroline Fowler is the Starr Director of the Research and Academic Program at the Clark and teaches in the Graduate Program in the History of Art at Williams College. The Research and Academic Program also awards between ten and sixteen Clark Fellowships a year, ranging in duration from four weeks to ten months. Clark Fellowships allow promising scholars, critics, and museum officials opportunities for research outside of their professional obligations. Fellows, along with scholars and students from all stretches of the world, are encouraged to participate in the various conferences, colloquia, workshops, curator round tables, and seminars hosted by the program. Publications like The Clark Studies in the Visual Arts, based on the proceedings of the annual Clark Conferences, serve as another forum for the interdisciplinary exploration of art historical issues. Interested audiences can also tune into the Research and Academic Program podcast, In the Foreground: Conversations on Art & Writing, which offers a lively, in-depth look into the life and mind of a scholar or artist working with art historical or visual material.

The Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art, established in 1972 in cooperation with the Clark, is an intensive two-year program that combines academic work, curatorial internships, workshops, an international study tour, and a range of instructors to culminate in a degree of the Master of Arts in the history of art. Located on the Clark Campus, the program draws on and works closely with the art history resources of both institutions. Of the nearly 1,500 graduates of the program, notable alumni include Sasha Suda, Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, James Rondeau, Director of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Paul Provost, Deputy Chairman of Christie's.

Established in 1962, the Clark library is one of the major art reference and research libraries in the United States. The library has over 280,000 volumes and many special collections, including Robert Sterling Clark's rare books collection. Materials include standard art reference titles and databases, monographs and scholarly journals in 65 languages from more than 140 countries, exhibition catalogs and museum publications, auction catalogs (including many nineteenth- and early twentieth-century catalogs), and artists' books. The library is open to the general public and admission is free.

Peter Guille (1955–1966) George Heard Hamilton (1966–1977) David Brooke (1977–1994) Michael Conforti (1994–2016) Olivier Meslay (2016 – July 2026) Esther Bell (July 2026–)

Since its establishment in 1955, the Clark Art Institute has continued to grow its collection through acquisitions, gifts, and bequests, with a recent focus on expanding its photography collection. In 2007, the Manton Foundation donated the collection of its founders, Sir Edwin and Lady Manton, to the museum. The Manton Collection of British Art includes more than 200 works by British artists like J.M.W. Turner, Thomas Gainsborough, and John Constable.

In 2024, the Clark Art Institute received a trove of 331 works from the Aso O. Tavitian Foundation, including 132 paintings, 130 sculptures, 39 drawings and 30 decorative arts objects by European artists Hans Memling, Peter Paul Rubens, Parmigianino, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Jean-Antoine Watteau, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Jan van Eyck and others. Tavitian, who died in 2020 at age 80, also left the museum $45 million to build a new wing to house the collection.