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The bridge connecting the Manton Research Center and the original museum at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. A new win announced on Monday morning will replace the bridge and create new gallery space.

Clark Art Gifted 331 Works, Endowment to Build New Wing

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Clark Art Institute has received one of the largest gifts in its history from the foundation of the late philanthropist Aso O. Tavitian. 
 
The gift includes 331 works of art from Tavitian's personal collection and more than $45 million to endow a curatorial position to oversee the collection, provide necessary support for the collection's long-term care, and fund construction of a new Aso O. Tavitian Wing at the Clark.
 
"It is an incredible honor to receive this transformational gift," said Olivier Meslay, Hardymon director of the Clark Art Institute. "During his lifetime, Aso Tavitian was a wonderful friend to the Clark and a generous supporter who provided us with exceptional leadership and dedication. We are deeply moved by his decision to place the heart of his collection in our trust and immensely grateful to the Trustees of his Foundation for their generosity in ensuring that we can fulfill his desire to share these treasures with the world through the addition of the new Aso O. Tavitian Wing that will house these remarkable works of art." 
 
Tavitian, who had homes in New York City and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, died in 2020. He served on the Clark's Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2012 and remained engaged with the Clark throughout his lifetime. In 2011, Tavitian loaned thirty paintings and one sculpture from his collection to the Clark for the exhibition "Eye to Eye: European Portraits," 1450–1850. Prior to his death, Tavitian made the decision to gift a significant portion of his collection to the Clark and had numerous conversations with the Institute's leadership about his intentions.
 
The 331 works of art in the gift include 132 paintings, 130 sculptures, thirty-nine drawings, and thirty decorative arts objects. The entirety of the Tavitian gift will be on view when the new Aso O. Tavitian Wing opens. Following an introductory presentation at the time of the new wing's opening, the works on paper included in the gift will be made available for study purposes and be presented in periodic displays. The majority of paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts objects will be shown on a continual basis, both in the new Tavitian Wing and in the Clark's permanent collection galleries.
 
The Tavitian gift includes works by Parmigianino, Peter Paul Rubens, Elizabeth Vigée Lebrun, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, and Jacques- Louis David, among others. Also included in the collection are landscapes by Hubert Robert, Claude-Joseph Vernet, and others, as well as religious paintings by artists including Jan van Eyck and Agnolo Bronzino. 
 
Gifted sculptures include works in bronze, plaster, terracotta, marble, and other materials dating from the Renaissance through the late nineteenth-century by artists including Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Andrea della Robbia, Gil de Siloé, Clodion (Claude Michel), and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux.
 
"Aso Tavitian's collection of Early Modern paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, and drawings is truly one of the finest in the world," said Esther Bell, Deputy Director and Robert and Martha Berman Lipp Chief Curator of the Clark. "In making this tremendous gift to the Clark, Aso ensured that the public will have access to these beautiful objects for future generations. We are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to share these works with our visitors."
 
In addition to the works of art and funding for a new addition, the gift creates an endowment for a new curatorial position, the Aso O. Tavitian Curator of Early Modern European Painting and Sculpture, as well as additional staffing to ensure continuous oversight of the works included in the collection. The gift also supports the publication of a catalogue documenting the collection, as well as the ongoing care and maintenance of the Tavitian Collection and the new facility.
 
The Clark and the Trustees of the Tavitian Foundation jointly selected Selldorf Architects to design the new Aso O. Tavitian Wing that will be constructed on the Clark's campus. The new facility will be positioned between the existing Museum Building and the Manton Research Center, creating a link between the two buildings and replacing the "bridge" that was originally created during the 1973 addition designed by Pietro Belluschi and The Architects Collaborative of Cambridge.
 
Annabelle Selldorf leads the design team on the project, marking her third major engagement with the Clark. Selldorf previously oversaw the 2014 renovation of the Museum Building and the 2016 renovation of the Manton Research Center's public spaces and galleries.
 
Completion of the new building is anticipated for some time between 2027 and 2028.
 

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Community Hero of the Month: Remedy Hall Co-Founder Andi Bryant

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.—Remedy Hall founder and board chair Andi Bryant is kicking off the new season of our Community Hero series, as the December Community Hero of the Month. 
 
The Community Hero of the Month is a 12-month series that honors individuals and organizations that have significantly impacted their community. This year's sponsor is Window World of Western Massachusetts. 
 
Bryant co-founded Remedy Hall in 2023 to lessen the financial burden of community members in need by providing essential items that people may be lacking, including hygiene items, cleaning supplies, clothing, bedding, furniture, and other necessities. 
 
In addition, they act as a "stopgap" to help guide people to resources that will provide additional support beyond the tangible items. 
 
"This is everything to me. My family will tell you they don't see me anymore. I spend probably way too much time here making sure that this is neat and clean and provide a compassionate, safe, dignified area for people with need," Bryant said. 
 
"I will have to say the heroes here are really the people that need the help. It takes a lot of courage for them to step forward, and walk in, and ask for help. And what we offer here is just a really safe, really non-judgmental, very dignified location for you to be able to do that." 
 
Remedy Hall's goal is to improve the lives of those facing economic and social challenges who have been exasperated by the effects of the pandemic and the rising cost of living, she said. 
 
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