[Libri] Rare Eighteenth-Century Engravings, Etchings, and Books on View at the Clark

[Prof. James Wald (der Geist, der stets verneint)]

October 18, 2007
RARE BOOKS ON VIEW AT THE CLARK OFFER ENTICING GLIMPSE INTO  
EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION
For Immediate Release

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - A rich vein of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art  
Institute's rare book collection will see daylight during Printed  
Love, a complementary exhibition to Consuming Passion: Fragonard's  
Allegories of Love. Opening October 28, Printed Love will  
contextualize the works by Jean-Honoré Fragonard through a display of  
engravings, etchings, and illustrated books from the extraordinary  
collection of rare books in the Clark's library.

Eighteenth-century France was rich with illustrated books, and  
Fragonard produced designs for several. He created a small number of  
original etchings but also commissioned engravings of many of his  
paintings. On view will be works by illustrators and engravers who,  
like Fragonard, experimented with new visual expressions of love in  
the years leading up to the Romantic period. Included will be  
illustrations by the best French eighteenth-century designers and  
engravers, such as Jean Michel Moreau Le Jeune and Nicolas Delaunay.  
Many of the books are in period bindings and in remarkable condition.  
This complement to Consuming Passion gives an enticing glimpse into a  
collection of treasures that are available to the public year-round,  
upon request, for viewing in the library.

Fragonard is best known as a painter of playful genre subjects,  
garden landscapes, and fantasy portraits, but in his later career he  
turned to the subject of romantic love. Consuming Passion:  
Fragonard's Allegories of Love focuses on Fragonard's work during the  
1780s and 1790s when he created a series of dramatic reflections on  
the subject of romantic allegories. This exhibition explores these  
mysteries and evocative works in a variety of themes: oil painting,  
drawings, prints, and illustrated books. Consuming Passion was  
organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum in association with the  
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. It will be on view at the  
Clark October 28, 2007 through January 21, 2008.

Established in 1962, the Clark's library is one of the major art  
reference and research libraries in the country. Focusing on post- 
medieval art, the collection is outstanding in the Italian and  
Northern Renaissance, Baroque, and French nineteenth-century fields  
and is well balanced in other areas. Its resources include  
approximately 225,000 books, bound periodicals, and auction sales  
catalogues, with current journal subscriptions numbering around 650.

Founded on the libraries of the former firm of Duveen Brothers (New  
York) and of the late Dutch art historian W. R. Juynboll, the Clark  
also holds an important collection of books on the decorative arts  
given by Mary Ann Beinecke and a collection of works on early  
twentieth-century art (with particular strengths in Dada and  
Surrealism) given by George Heard Hamilton, former director of the  
Clark. Sterling Clark's outstanding collection of rare books is  
notable for its illustrated books, fine bindings, and literature in  
rare editions and comprises about one-third of the 2,200 titles in  
the rare book collection. In addition, the library holdings include a  
collection of twentieth-century artists' books.

The library is a partner of RLG Programs, a global partnership of  
nearly 150 research libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural  
memory institutions. Arranged in open stacks, the library is non- 
circulating outside the premises but study areas are available  
throughout its four floors. Terminals giving access to the online  
catalog and an extensive suite of electronic databases are available  
on all floors.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown,  
Massachusetts.  The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10  
am to 5 pm (daily in July and August). Admission June 1 through  
October 31 is $12.50 for adults, free for children 18 and younger,  
members, and students with valid ID. Admission is free November  
through May. For more information, call 413-458-2303 or visit  
www.clarkart.edu.

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Calendar listing

October 28, 2007 through January 21, 2008: Consuming Passion:  
Fragonard's Allegories of Love focuses on Jean-Honoré Fragonard's  
later work when he created a series of dramatic reflections on the  
subject of romantic love. This exhibition explores these mysteries  
and evocative works in a variety of themes: oil painting, drawings,  
and prints. Printed Love, a complementary exhibition, focuses on the  
theme of love as addressed in eighteenth century prints and books,  
all from the Clark's collection. The Clark, 225 South Street,  
Williamstown, MA, 01267.  www.clarkart.edu, 413-458-2303.

Press Contact: Sarah Hoffman
shoffman at clarkart.edu
(413) 458-0471