The Clark houses one of the most distinguished art research libraries in the country, with over 300,000 volumes in more than 130 languages. From its opening in 1962 the library has grown and changed over the years to accommodate teaching spaces, visual resources, new programs and initiatives, and a never-ending array of new technologies (in addition, of course, to its growing collection of books), always striving to meet the needs of our valued students, scholars, staff, researchers, and visitors.
The library’s special collections enhance both library and museum holdings. Highlights include the founding collection of Robert Sterling Clark's rare books, the history of photomechanical reproduction, early illustrated printed books, decorative arts and sample books, twentieth- and twenty-first century artists’ books, and archival collections.
special collections book of the month
Julius S. Held Collection
“The genera insectorum of Linnæus exemplified in various specimens of English insects drawn from nature” is a lavishly illustrated volume, with text in both English and French (the former aligned to the left of the pages and the latter to the right). Its purpose is to illustrate local British invertebrates (with a few exceptions, such as a foreign scorpion) under their classifications by Linnaeus (1758) in his tenth edition of ‘Systema Naturae'. Invertebrates are animals that lack a backbone, and arthropods (insects, spiders, and crustaceans) comprise the largest of the four groups of invertebrates.
No details of the biography or circumstances of James Barbut appear ever to have been published or preserved, so the author’s life and work remain a mystery. The original drawings were purchased by the Natural History Museum in London in 2000.
FOLLOW THE LIBRARY
Serving the general public as well as visiting scholars and local students and faculty, the Clark library welcomes all visitors to use its reference and research services and to enjoy its collections. An extensive array of electronic resources and reference materials support scholarly research in the field of Art History. Library staff are dedicated to assisting all users to access the library’s wide-ranging and diverse collections.
MORE
New Acquisitions Book of the Week
Friedman tells the fascinating story of the queer avant-garde of the 1920s and '30s in New York, Paris, and Venice as seen through the eyes of Max Ewing (1903-1934), a young musician, photographer, and man-about-town who, although virtually unknown today, moved in extraordinary circles. In his photographs and letters we meet the rising stars of modern art, music, dance, and literature and enter a world of interracial friendship, "queer space," and experimentation that shone brightly before being swept away by the Depression. It is a remarkable story that reveals that the history of modernism is both more queer and more Black than previously recognized.
In the 1920s, Ewing became part of an international coterie of artists led by Carl Van Vechten and Muriel Draper. In Europe, he was entertained by Gertrude Stein, met Stravinsky, and took a road trip with Romaine Brooks and Natalie Barney. In 1928, in a closet in his apartment, Ewing created the Gallery of Extraordinary Portraits, an installation of photos of his favorite celebrities; Black and white, clothed and nude. For his Carnival of Venice, he took portraits of more than a hundred friends - including Paul Robeson, Berenice Abbott, Isamu Noguchi, Agnes de Mille, and E. E. Cummings - posed in front of a backdrop of Saint Mark's Square. His story sheds new light on modernism and an artistic milieu that was ahead of its time.
LIBRARY HOURS
PUBLIC HOURS
The library is open without appointment.
Monday - Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
All are welcome to email the library with reference/research questions.
HOLIDAYS
The library is closed to the public on the following holidays:
New Year's Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Presidents' Day
Memorial Day
Juneteenth
Independence Day
Labor Day
Indigenous Peoples Day
Thanksgiving (2 days)
Christmas (2 days)
EXTENDED HOURS
Extended hours are available to holders of a Clark badge or a Reader's Card. Reader's cards are given by application. Cards may not be appropriate for all applicants but we will always do our best to meet your research needs.
Mon-Thurs 8 am to 11 pm
Friday 8 am to 6 pm
Saturday 9 am to 6 pm
Sunday 9 am to 11 pm
HOLIDAYS
With the exception of Christmas Day and New Year's Day the library is open during holidays to anyone eligible for extended hours.