Displaying items by tag: michael conforti

Michael Conforti, the longtime director of the Clark Art Institute, is retiring. Conforti, who’s held the post since 1994, told the institute’s board of trustees that he’s leaving
Aug. 31.

“It has been an extraordinary privilege for me to have the opportunity to be a part of the Clark’s growth over these last 20 years,” he said in a statement. “There have been many wonderful opportunities that have propelled the Clark in new directions and have set the course for an even brighter future.”

The Seattle Art Museum and New England’s Clark Art Institute are wagering temporary loans of major paintings based on the outcome of Super Bowl XLIX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. The masterpieces that have been anted up showcase the beautiful landscapes of the Northwest and the Northeast respectively.

The Stakes: "The majestic Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast" from 1870 by Albert Bierstadt from SAM’s American art collection is wagered by Kimerly Rorschach, SAM’s Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO. Winslow Homer’s masterpiece, "West Point, Prout's Neck" (1900), one of the greatest works in the Clark’s noted Homer collection, is wagered by Michael Conforti, director of the Clark Art Institute. The winning museum will receive a three-month loan of the prized artwork. All shipping and expenses will be paid by the losing museum.

The Clark Art Institute recently received the gift of a significant, rare commissioned portrait by Winslow Homer.

"Charles Prentice Howland" (1878), an oil painting that has never been publicly exhibited, was donated to the Clark by the sitter's granddaughter, Susan Montgomery Howell. The painting, which had remained with the family since 1878, is on view at the Clark.

"We are grateful to Susan Montgomery Howell and her family for giving the Clark this important, little-known painting, which will now be enjoyed by the public. I have long known Charles Prentice Howland's namesake, C.P. Howland, so it is a true delight that this wonderful connection has brought us together," said Clark Director Michael Conforti.

“I started to cry a bit when I saw the finished result for the first time this morning,” said architect Annabelle Selldorf at the June 27 press preview of the newly expanded Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Michael Conforti, director of the Institute, also teared up as he addressed the crowd gathered to celebrate the reopening after 10 years and $145 million of time and funds were invested into reconstruction. Visitors might have similarly emotional reactions to the results, including Pritzker-winner Tadao Ando’s multipurpose visitor center, which prioritizes circulation and the views of lush hills behind the Clark; landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand’s stepped pools, which create a peaceful setting primed for meditation; and Selldorf’s redesign of the main museum building’s interior, which glorifies the Clark’s collection.