2016-08-05

The Clark - Williamstown - Massachusetts - U.S.A.

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The Clark Art Institute has a rich, colorful history beginning with founder Sterling Clark’s expedition to China in 1908, his introduction to the world of collecting art in Paris in 1910, and his marriage to Francine Clary in 1919. Together, Sterling and Francine began what is now a world-renowned collection of American and European art, including prints and drawings, sculpture, decorative arts, and paintings—most notably French Impressionist masterworks by artists such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, and Camille Pissarro. They also committed to the pivotal concept of serving as not only an art museum, but also a research and academic center. The Clark’s Research and Academic Program is now considered one of the finest of its kind, awarding prestigious fellowships to established art historians and boasting a library of more than 230,000 volumes.