Clark Art Institute — Attraction in Williamstown

I've been visiting the Clark for over a half-century and it continues to be an art museum worth a special trip for its permanent collection, founded by Sterling and Francine Clark. In the last fifty years it has considerably expanded its physical footprint, as well as its collections, sometimes more successfully than others, and it now consists of a busy campus where once it had the charm of a quiet, rural "temple" to art.

The original donors' focus on nineteenth and twentieth century paintings from Western Europe and the U.S. is still visible, especially in the Clark's strong Impressionist galleries, although inevitably even that collection can be uneven, including too many saccharine Renoirs. The historical European galleries, although not encyclopedic, include many fine pieces, helped some years ago by a small, but select, donation of works from the estate of Governor and Mrs. Herbert H. Lehman, including both early gilded Italian panels and a number of Netherlandish paintings, as well as later pieces. Works by top tier artists include an important Piero Della Francesca, a Memling portrait, and one generally attributed to Rembrandt. Inconsistent, but welcome, bits of sculpture (notably a fine horse by Giambologna) and decorative arts are mixed in as well. The U.S. side of the display in the primary galleries has noteworthy concentrations of works by Sargent, Innes and Remington, masters too rarely seen in close proximity to their European colleagues.

Non-painting galleries elsewhere in the campus added in recent decades are decidedly uneven in both form and content. In addition to presenting confusing traffic flows that can leave even return visitors puzzled as to their location, they also reflect the politics of wealthy donors with special interests rather than ideal curatorship, resulting, for example, in a puzzling installation of American decorative arts which lacks context. Also sometimes uneven are their annual summer big name loan exhibitions, designed no doubt to bring in those who might not otherwise visit an art museum. The smaller special exhibits that occur year-round in more intimate spaces, while often welcome for bringing out less frequently seen works on paper, and professionally composed, are sometimes also not entirely fulfilling as art experiences, especially when the press releases promise more than is delivered.

Ironically, having originally welcomed the public with a very clear layout, and then added a new building with a welcoming lobby including retail and food concessions, even if at a slight distance from the core collection, the current circuit is more annoying. It includes a remote hill-top building some walk from the interconnected, although discrete, core campus, which only sometimes offers exhibits. There is parking and in season some young folks seemingly driving golf cart-type transportation, although it is not clear how or whether one can avail oneself of it. The Clark has introduced and then changed food service over the decades, and its current counter-service basement café has only a limited menu that can leave one hungry in an area where reasonably priced food options are difficult to find. If you can snag a seat by the reflecting pool added in the last building campaign the views are beautiful and picnicking is allowed (and there is no charge for walking the campus, although certainly if you've come that far, the art is well worth the price of admission!).

The Clark is an important international level art museum worth a special trip. You need a car to get around, but its close proximity to Williams College, which has its own Art Museum with a vey different mandate, as well as to the vast kunsthalle that is Mass MoCA in nearby North Adams, combine to make visiting the area a "must" for art museum...

The art is very beautiful. I only wish that all of the staff was as well trained as the art has been collected and curated. I used the bathrooms which are downstairs in the museum and came up and walked over to the gift shop which seemed to be down a hallway in another building. The woman working the gift shop gave me an ugly look because it was a few minutes before the 5pm close time. This did not lend itself to a pleasant shopping experience, so I tried to walk back to the other building where my friends were. However, a staff employee had locked all the doors before the 5pm close time in-between the buildings. He told me I couldn't go back to where I had been before and find my friends because the doors were locked. I explained to him that I didn't know where I was exactly and would he please let me find my friends in the other building. He said "No. The doors are locked. Exit the building now." I explained I didn't know where the parking lot was where we had parked our car and I couldn't see anything outside because of the blinding snowstorm going on. I asked if anyone could help me find the parking lot - like a member of the staff or security and he very rudely said "Exit the building NOW." I could not see where I was going and stumbled around looking for a path or stairs which were all completely snowed over. I was lost and scared. I would never treat someone like this? I have been to museums all over the world and have never seen anyone treated like this before. For this reason, I do not recommend this art museum. Go spend your $20.00 somewhere else where they treat you with dignity and courtesy...

After seeing the construction of the new center last summer and reading articles about the completed project, I looked forward to visiting last Saturday. I was not disappointed. The new Clark Center and the reopened Museum are strikingly beautiful and the artwork is shown well.

My only observations are that you approach the large doors in the Center and concourse to the Museum without knowing how they open so you are left to guess if you should pull or push them open. It was somewhat awkward. On a more substantive note, the open area and reflecting pool seem to want to serve as a public square yet the space is so minimalist and the relation of the buildings, pool and landscape so beautiful that I almost felt like an interloper. Without necessarily introducing food trucks or the like, some additional seating or tables with the white umbrellas spread around the space (near the Museum building and the Manton Center) might soften the space and pull the buildings together. Finally I wish more had been done to bring the Manton Center into the conversation of the Center and Museum around the reflecting pool and outdoor area. It stands as a solid block of a building off to the side. A few strategically placed trees might soften its blank walls but somehow it should feel included in the wonderful outside space.

A great experience and...