LOOKING AND LUNCHING PROGRAM AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE EXPLORES PHILIPPE-JOSEPH BROCARD’S “MOSQUE LAMP”

For Immediate Release
December 4, 2019
[Digital image available upon request]

Williamstown, Massachusetts—The Clark Art Institute’s Looking and Lunching program will be held Thursday, December 19, at 12 pm. This month, Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, provides an in-depth discussion of the Clark’s Mosque Lamp by Philippe-Joseph Brocard (French, 1831–1896). Closely modeled on an Egyptian original, this stunning example of enameled and gilded glass demonstrates the fascination that Islamic art and architecture held for nineteenth-century European designers. Normally on view in the permanent collection galleries, Brocard’s Mosque Lamp will be featured in the special exhibition Arabesque, on view at the Clark through March 22, 2020.

Arabesque traces the history of arabesque motifs over a series of moments in European art when it was in the ascendant—from German Romanticism to the Pre-Raphaelites, Nabi artists, and Art Nouveau. The exhibition features a select array of works from a wide range of media, including paintings, prints, drawings, book illustrations, posters, furniture, and textiles.
Looking and Lunching encourages participants to take a closer look at an object in the Clark’s collection during a focused half-hour discussion, followed by continued conversation over lunch with the presenter and fellow art lovers in the Clark’s Carswell Room. Free with gallery admission. Plan to arrive early to pre-order and purchase your meal, or bring your own lunch. Limited seating available. Meet at the admissions desk in the Clark Center.

ABOUT THE CLARK

The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions internationally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 275,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm; open daily in July and August. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; EBT Card to Culture; and Blue Star Museums. For more information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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