Last month, the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, announced that it had received a large gift worth several hundred million dollars: 331 works of art from the Late Renaissance and later, from artists such as Hans Memling, Peter Paul Rubens, Parmigianino, Elisabeth. Louise Vigée Le Brun, Jean-Antoine Watteau and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The donation comes to the museum from the support of longtime patron Aso Tavitian, who also provided funds for a new wing where the gift will be displayed. We caught up with museum director Olivier Meslay to hear more about its impact
Congratulations on this great gift. He described it as “the most revolutionary gift” since the founding of the estate of collectors Sterling and Francine Clark. Why does it change so much?
This offering presents the works of over 100 artists in the Clark’s permanent collection, enhancing and expanding the scope of our collection. The artists whose works are included in the Tavitian gift are among the most important in the history of art, especially from the Renaissance and the early modern periods, including Jacopo da Pontormo, Jan Van Eyck, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Anthony Van Dyck. However, many of the works included in the gift are by unknown artists. The gift is also changing because almost half of the works are sculptural, a medium that has never been a major strength of Clark’s collection. The gift adds 130 sculptures to Clark’s holdings, quadrupling the total number of sculptures in the collection. These include sculptures by Andrea della Robbia, Jean-Antoine Houdon, David d’Angers and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux.
Let’s talk about Aso Tavitian, who collected works donated to his gift and had a long relationship with the museum. What was his attitude towards collecting? How did he have such an eye?
When Aso Tavitian started building his collection, it was for personal reasons. Aso enjoyed surrounding himself with beauty but was deeply interested in making a personal connection with each object he encountered. You’ll notice that a large part of the collection focuses on form and that’s a reflection of Aso’s deep interest in people—their stories and their humanity. Part of what motivated him to continue to grow his collection was his belief that seeing these works of art in conversation with one another enriched your ability to appreciate yourself in new and interesting ways.
Part of the reason for the size of this gift is that Tavitian wanted to keep an important part of his collection together. Why do you think this was important to him?
Aso has been very busy with the idea of making sure these works will be available for future generations to see and appreciate. He also knew that here at Clark, these paintings and sculptures would deepen the ways in which students and scholars could learn about the artists, subjects and history of our world. Having the opportunity to meet so many important things in one place is a treasure for art connoisseurs and a real joy for art lovers. Imagine taking a trip to a small town like Williamstown, Massachusetts, and wandering through galleries filled with the works of history’s great painters and sculptors, then walking outside the galleries to view the beautiful natural beauty of our campus in the Berkshires. It is clearly memorable.
How does Clark’s location in the Berkshires enhance this collection of works by European masters?
Tavitian had a home here in the Berkshires and, like many others who have discovered this part of the world, he found a certain response to life surrounded by the beauty found here in nature. That experience alone is inspiring, but when you consider the region’s remarkable cultural resources—art, music, theater, dance—you see how this rich cultural mélange deepens your ability to appreciate all the arts. It doesn’t matter where the art is made; how or where you encounter art can influence your perception. Looking at art here is very different from going into a museum in busy urban areas like New York, London or Paris. We think that having the opportunity to view great art here creates a memorable experience that enriches the ways you can think and learn about art.
Discussions about this gift began in 2019, so that the gift could fill gaps in the museum’s collection or otherwise fill them. Can you talk more about those conversations and the gaps that this collection fills?
The gift was not intended specifically as a way to “fill gaps” in the collection. As we discussed the gift, first with Aso Tavitian and later with the Tavitian Foundation, we made very conscious decisions about which items made the most sense to add to our collection. Although our existing collection spans from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th Century, our holdings are mainly concentrated in the early period, while the Tavitian collection is strong in the latter part of this period. Also, the Tavitian collection is very focused on sculpture, which will deeply enrich our understanding of that style. The items we have selected further enhance our existing collection and, at the same time, increase the range and balance of our holdings.
Of the 331 jobs in this giveaway, do you have a personal favorite?
That’s an impossible question for a caregiver to answer! But I will say that I was particularly attracted to the Saint Cecilia marble by the Spanish artist Gil de Siloé. I had seen the sculpture in an auction house catalog and was impressed, I thought it was a really beautiful thing. A few months later, I had the distinct feeling of seeing it in person for the first time—not in a gallery or museum, but in the kitchen of Aso Tavitian. He was the winning bidder at the auction, and there we were, standing by the kitchen counter admiring his new purchase. I could see how much he loved this sculpture, and seeing it with his eyes made me appreciate it even more.
The gift also includes funds to build a new storage unit and a new custodian position. Why was it important for the museum to have these benefits in addition to the gift?
The new facility and the funding of two new staff positions further underscores Aso’s importance in maintaining and maintaining these works of art in perpetuity. It was important to Aso to know that at any given time, a large percentage of the works from his collection would be available to the public for viewing in a dedicated gallery space, so making these things easily accessible was an important factor in his thinking. The addition of staff positions dedicated to the care and learning surrounding that collection of artifacts means that future generations of visitors, students and scholars will have a unique opportunity to access professional resources to help provide new knowledge and new scholarship around these artifacts. Above all else, these services of dedicated staff will ensure that these works of art are properly preserved for all to enjoy.
