By Andrew Davis
Photo by Blake Gardner
With the original museum building closed for renovations, where are my favorite Clark masterpieces? I checked in with curatorial to get the full story. You may find the answers surprising. Come, let’s take a look, shall we?
The Renoirs I love so well have been to Madrid:
And Milan:
And Giverny:
And Barcelona:
And will see quite a few more cities before they return home.
More than one million people have enjoyed the Clark’s collection since these paintings hit the road over a year ago. I hope some of those people come to Williamstown when the collection is reinstalled here in 2014.
It’s all part of ClarkNOW. That’s the snazzy name someone thought up for all the museum programming happening from now until Summer 2014, when the museum building reopens. It’s being renovated now, from top to bottom. It will be bigger and more spacious when it’s done.
There will also be a completely new visitor services building. They’re working on that right now.
ClarkNOW is more than a world tour of paintings. Plenty of things are staying right here in Williamstown. In fact, nearly everything that was in the old museum building is still here at the Clark and on view.
Monet’s Rouen Cathedral? Ugolino’s altarpiece? Homer’s Undertow? They’re all on view now, in the galleries off the main lobby. I just walked over there myself, to be sure.
Photo by Kevin Sprague
There will also be plenty of special exhibitions in the Manton building, and at Stone Hill Center.
Clark Remix, which opened February 12, more than doubled the number of paintings on view in Williamstown. Clark Remix is an utterly different way to enjoy the collection. Think of a salon-style install, and amplify that. There are more paintings per square foot than I’ve ever seen in one place. I don’t know if I can handle it!
Photo by Kevin Sprague
Every single decorative object the Clark displays is shown in a spectacular V-shaped room-within-a-room. That’s hundreds of objects! I have to remind myself to breathe.
Photo by Kevin Sprague
They’ll be handing out touch screen tablets in case I want to look up info on anything.
Photo by Kevin Sprague
Seeing all this art in a novel way has definitely lit a creative spark, so I’ll be designing my own exhibition with uCurate. I’m excited about this interactive feature. It might be the first of its kind in the world. Anyone can walk up to the screen and arrange digital works from the collection however they like. People can post their exhibitions online, and some of them will actually be chosen to get installed after the museum building reopens! So, if you ever wanted to design exhibitions, here’s your chance. I’ve got a couple ideas…
I’m glad to know ClarkNOW offers plenty to see and do for the next couple years.
