ABOUT THE LIBRARY
The Clark houses one of the most distinguished art research libraries in the country, with more than 280,000 volumes in over 65 languages. Focusing on post-medieval European and American art, the collection is outstanding in the fields of Italian and Northern Renaissance, Baroque, and nineteenth-century French art, the history of photography, and international contemporary art, as well as theory and visual cultu
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
Artists’ Book Collection
Reparations. Emory Douglas, book design by Michael Bartalos and Lili Ong. (San Francisco : San Francisco Center for the Book, [2009])
The book is 4 pages with 1 continuous illustration. The imagery for this edition was initially a painting by Mr. Douglas which was then translated into a 2 color, letterpress graphic. The pages of the book are a one-sided, accordion fold piece. The folded cover is made of Amate bark with hand-spun hemp and silk thread and letterpress printed in 2 colors with interior colophon page attached.
FOLLOW THE LIBRARY
Open to the general public as well as to visiting scholars and local students and faculty, the Clark library welcomes all visitors to use its reference and research services. 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 gain access to the library’s wide-ranging and diverse collections.
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New Acquisitions Book of the Week
¡Printing the Revolution! : the Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now. Edited by E. Carmen Ramos (Washington, DC: Smithsonian American Art Museum ; Princeton: Princeton University Press, [2020])
In the 1960s, activist Chicano artists forged a remarkable history of printmaking that remains vital today. Many artists came of age during the civil rights, labor, anti-war, feminist and LGBTQ+ movements and channeled the period's social activism into assertive aesthetic statements that announced a new political and cultural consciousness among people of Mexican descent in the United States. ¡Printing the Revolution! explores the rise of Chicano graphics within these early social movements and the ways in which Chicanx artists since then have advanced innovative printmaking practices attuned to social justice. More than reflecting the need for social change, the works featured in the catalogue and exhibition project and revise notions of Chicanx identity, spur political activism, and school viewers in new understandings of U.S. and international history.
Published in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name, presented at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, November 20, 2020 to May 2, 2021.
LIBRARY HOURS
PUBLIC HOURS
The Clark library is currently closed to the public, but we are able to provide reference and research services.
Click here for information on library services during COVID-19.
You are welcome to email the library with reference/research questions.
HOLIDAYS
The Library is closed on the following holidays:
Labor Day
Thanksgiving (2 days)
Christmas Eve and Day (2 days)
New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
EXTENDED HOURS
Extended hours are available to holders of Clark badges.
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.