Seeing is believing. An Exquisite Eye, the new summer exhibition at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass., premieres the majestic gift of more than 300 Old Master paintings and sculptures from the estate of connoisseur and tech pioneer Aso O. Tavitian. The Clark announced the gift two years ago, but now it’s on view, along with its bevy of Renoirs, Turners and Constables, and Sargents and Homers — all nourishing mind, heart, and soul.
The gift transforms the Clark by vastly enhancing its thin corps of Old Masters. Sterling Clark, the Singer Sewing Machine heir and founder, started his collection around 1913 with Old Masters but moved to Impressionism after he married his French-actress wife, Francine. Old Masters were added here and there, but that part of the collection has been too peripheral. No more. And as portraits go, unless you were a pretty young thing, chances are your face and figure wouldn’t have caught Sterling’s eye. Now, portraiture is an anchor at the Clark. It’s also building what promises to be an attractive new home for the Tavitian gifts. Good. Its last expansion — two new buildings — was a nightmare. No one loves the buildings, though the landscaping is gorgeous.
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