50 Years and Forward

Works on Paper Acquisitions

December 16, 2023 – March 10, 2024

Giuseppe Cades

Two Caryatid Figures Framing a Cartouche with Two Cupids (Deux figures de cariatides encadrant une cartouche surmontée de deux amours) (detail)

late 1770s
Pen and brown ink over black chalk with gray and red wash and highlights in white gouache
Acquired by the Clark, 2022.10

50 Years and Forward: Works on Paper Acquisitions marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Manton Research Center with a selection of prints, drawings, and photographs acquired between 1973 and 2023. Featuring recent acquisitions and other works never shown at the Clark before, the exhibition celebrates not only the growth of classic areas of strength but also the emergence of fresh collecting territories. Along with familiar works by Albrecht Dürer, Francisco Goya, Édouard Manet, and Mary Cassatt, 50 Years and Forward highlights lesser-known parts of the collection, including early twentieth-century art, photographs by Berenice Abbott and Doris Ulmann, and important images of and by Black Americans. With each passing year and decade, the museum reaffirms its commitment to the storied collecting mission of its founders Sterling and Francine Clark, modifying and expanding it to meet the needs of a new era.

50 Years and Forward: Works on Paper Acquisitions is organized by the Clark Art Institute and curated by Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs.